Samurai Champloo
by HiddenXEmotion
Summary: Reiko is a woman on the run, searching for a place where she can just live in peace but fate seems to have other plans. She's found herself caught in the most obnoxious band, searching for the Samurai who smells of Sunflowers. Having fought to keep her past secret, she finds that it just cannot be done; especially when a certain Ronin is finding ways to slip past her defenses.
1. Opening and Characters

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 _ **Opening and Characters**_

Fate has a way of bringing together the strangest of characters; and sometimes they're not a happy bunch. Fuu just wants to find the samurai who smells of sunflowers but there's no way that she can do it all on her own and so she enlists the help of quite the band of characters, praying that they don't get her killed in the process.

 **Fuu Kasami**

 **Waitress**

 **Weapon: Tanto**

 **Age: 15**

" **Until we find the 'Samurai who smells of Sunflowers', you two are not allowed to kill eachother!"**

Seen as the leader of the strange traveling group, Fuu was able to trick Mugen and Jin into helping her find the Sunflower Samurai. The adopted sister of Ryu, she hasn't seen him in almost five years, making her a little sore and shy around the young man when he returns to her side. She has an instant dislike for Liza when she joins and decides to stick close to Reiko, hoping to learn how to be more ladylike along the way.

 **Jin**

 **Ronin**

 **Samurai Swords**

 **Age: 20**

" **I'm not the one who did the betraying. But I won't make excuses. Regardless, it's true that I killed my master."**

Calm and collected, Jin is the silent type and his stoic demeanor can irritate his companions to no end. Running from something in his past, he doesn't like to let others in but the group he's traveling with seems to be doing just that. He trusts Ryu more than any of the others and is interested in how the other man came to travel with Liza and Reiko.

 **Mugen**

 **Vagabond**

 **Blade and champloo/martial arts**

 **Age: 19**

" **If living means that I must bow down to you guys, I will happily stand tall and die!"**

Rude, lewd, vulgar, and nihilistic, Mugen isn't what some would call a hero. Fond of fighting and in petty ways, the young man is also a womanizer and lets his libido get the better of him. Tricked into helping Fuu, he longs to get the mission over so he can kill Jin like he planned to when they first met. Though interested in both Liza and Reiko, he quickly learned to fear Reiko's anger, leaving just the playful flirting between him and Liza to entertain him.

 **Ryu Matsu**

 **Ronin**

 **Samurai Swords**

 **Age: 23**

" **I promised her mother that I would provide for her; I'll take that promise to my grave."**

Adopted by Fuu's family after his mother died of a sickness when Fuu was three, Ryu plays the role of a protective older brother well, though his feelings for his adoptive sister are anything but brotherly. He joined the Shogun to make money for his family but dropped out and became a wanted man for a decision he made for helping two women in need.

Though he hasn't seen Fuu in five years, he's kept up with keeping tabs on her. When he received word that the place she worked was burnt to the ground and that she ran off with two vagabonds he became furious and dragged his companions to go searching for her.

He's known Reiko and Liza for over five years now, knowing their secrets. He'll go to extreme lengths to keep all three women in his life safe. He was also the one that gave Fuu her pet, Momo.

 **Elizabeth 'Liza' Rush**

 **Outlaw**

 **Naginata and Knives**

 **Age: 18**

" **Oh, I'm not picky. Fingers, heads, blood; as long as I get to watch."**

An English orphan sold as a slave, she was brought to Japan after her father died and her mother had fallen in love with a samurai. She clearly stands out due to her blonde hair and blue eyes, making her easily noticeable. Along with Reiko, she's known as one of the Terror Sisters who are responsible for the destruction of Castle Norika.

Extremely flamboyant, her fight techniques are all self-taught and she likes to tease everyone, both frustratingly and sexually, male or female. Of their five years together, though, Ryu has never seen her share a room with anyone but Reiko.

 **Reiko Noba**

 **Outlaw**

 **Double-sided Blade**

 **Age: 24**

" **I did what I had to. Criminal, murderer, call me what you want; it means not. I don't need to justify my actions to anyone."**

The other of the Terror Sisters, Reiko does not talk often, leaving that to her companions. When she does speak, she comes off cold and fierce. She only trusts Liza and Ryu, though Ryu barely, and refuses to let anyone else in. It is known that she and Liza have been together nearly ten years and she's very protective of the English woman but not much else is known about her past life, though it is clear that something horrible had happened.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 _ **Chapter One**_

 _ **Reunited**_

" **They definitely came this way.** That old man in the last village said that the trio came this way."

"I thought you only knew the chick? How do you know what the men look like?"

"Because when we received reports, we got descriptions. How many samurai do you know walk around with glasses on his face? Or a brown weirdo with blue tattoos from prison? And the fact that they're with a young woman fitting Fuu's description just makes me that more sure it's the ones we're looking for."

"You're such a weirdo, Ryu."

"Coming from the English woman, right?"

"You got that right."

Ryu Matsu shook his head. 24 and standing at 6'0', Ryu had black hair that he kept short with a blue tint and green eyes. Dressed in the traditional robes of the samurai, his colors pertained to grey and white, his blades held to the right of his body and a green sack on his back.

The English woman he was talking to was Elizabeth Rush, though she preferred to be called Liza. At 5'9' and 18 years old, she kept her long, blonde hair in a twisted, crooked ponytail to the left of her head with a pair of big, blue eyes. Dressed in a green kimono, she currently wore the left side of her dress off of her shoulder, exposing bright white skin as she wore a white halter top. A large naginata was strapped across her back and she was currently rubbing her right thigh through her kimono, careful not to hit the knives she held strapped to her leg.

"Ryu, just how far are you willing to follow this girl?"

The third voice joined the conversation, making the man turn to look at the woman that was still sitting on the bench behind them. That was Reiko Noba, the last of their happy, little bunch. With long black hair that reached past her waist, she kept it scrunched up at the nape of her neck with a pair of cold, grey eyes. Dressed in a purple kimono with flower patterns, a single blade in a black sheath was hanging to her left, a golden talisman hanging from the sheath.

The trio were currently outside of a tea house, having just finished lunch. Ryu had asked for information on a group they were currently tracking and they were getting ready to take off again.

"I've told you before, Reiko. Fuu and her mother took me in when my mother died. She's my little sister. I have to make sure she's safe. I kept an eye on her while she worked in that tea house back home but now that she's run off I have to confront her."

"Confront her?" Liza raised a brow. "You sound like you're afraid to do so."

"I'm a convicted criminal now, thanks to you two. I'm worried about what she'll say. Then again, with who she's traveling with now I don't think I need to be that afraid anymore."

"You're not a criminal yet, you know," Liza grinned. "Your face was never seen and there's not wanted posters of you yet."

"But the longer I'm around you two, I'll be placed on them in no time, I'm sure." Ryu hung his head.

"You're free to leave any time," Reiko told him. "We can take care of ourselves."

"And believe me, I wish I could, but I can't. I was raised to help women, especially when they're in dire need. Besides, you're not that bad; either of you."

"Aww, you're so cute, Ryu!" Liza giggled at him. "It's too bad you're gay."

"I told you, I'm not gay," Ryu crossed his arms. "I just don't want to sleep with you."

"Yeah, that means you're gay."

Ryu rolled his eyes. This was a constant conversation between the two of them. Liza liked to flirt; a lot. She flirted with anything and everything if it walked on two legs and could talk, male or female. Ryu wouldn't lie and say he wasn't attracted to the blonde English woman but he had his morals. Now he just had to stick with them.

Reiko, on the other hand, blew him off every chance that she could. She clearly didn't hide the fact that she disliked the man traveling with them. Hell, she seemed to dislike anyone but Liza but Ryu didn't hold it against her. He knew all about what made her this way. He couldn't blame her for that.

Ryu was surprised that Reiko hadn't gone off and left on her own. With the way she acted she seemed more like a loner but she always followed what Liza wanted to do. The two of them were inseparable and why that was, even Ryu had yet to get the answer from either of the two women.

"I heard that there's some famous painter in this town." Liza folded her arms behind her head. "I'm interested in going for a look."

"You like paintings?" Ryu raised a brow.

"No, not really. I just want to see how much a naked picture of me, Reiko, and you cost."

The man sighed. "I should have known."

"We need to be careful," Reiko commented. "I hear that there's Yakuza wandering this ar-"

"GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE!"

A man ran past them, an enraged look on his face. Liza was able to get a good look at him.

With messy black hair and a faint beard, his skin was tanned and he wore a grey shirt with a red, short sleeved happi and dark grey hakama that were cut off at his knees. There was a sword strapped to his back, pair of Geta sandals, and blue tattoos on his wrists and ankles.

She blinked. "Ryu...you said blue tattoo rings, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ryu tossed the last dango in his mouth. "Why?"

"Because I think that was him."

…

"What?!"

"You're an idiot," Reiko sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose as Ryu took off after the running man.

"Should we hurry after him?" Liza asked.

"No," The older woman answered. "Let him take care of his own problems." Reiko stood up. "Let's get out of this place before sunset; I don't want to get caught in a town."

"Then we'll need to head over the river," Liza stretched her back out. "There's a boat fare, you know." She looked down the street where Ryu had disappeared. "You think we'll lose him this time?"

For the last few months, Liza and Reiko have been trying to lave Ryu behind but every time they parted ways and left him behind, they somehow ended right back up with the man.

"Who can say?" Reiko commented. "It's all left to the hands of fate."

" **Hey, hey you!** Stop running! I need to talk to you!" Ryu yelled at the man in red.

"Can't stop! Need to save the girl!"

"Save the girl?" Ryu froze for a moment. "Save the girl? Do you mean Fuu?!"

The man didn't reply, though, just dropping over the side of the bridge and landing on a boat of barrels before beginning to beat the hell out of the three men on it.

"What the..." Ryu watched as one of them men in blue opened a barrel and grabbed something from inside before jumping onto the stairs and beginning to run. It was a young woman in a pink kimono. He wasn't able to get a good look at the girl's face but if this guy was who he was looking for then that girl in pink...

Ryu wasted no time in running after the man, the guy in red not far behind him. Letting the other man take care of what was going on with the freak, Ryu caught the woman was she was tossed aside.

Relief flooded his body as he took a look at her face. "Fuu!

The young woman that he had caught looked up at him in fear before surprise spread across her face. "M-Matsu?" Her words were muffled behind the cloth covering her mouth but she repeated his name when he removed it. "Matsu, is it really you?!"

The man grinned as he looked at his adopted sister, untying her arms. She always called him by his last name; always. Fuu was about 15 with brown hair pulled back and a deep pink kimono with flower patterns.

"You there," A voice sounded behind him before he could reply and Ryu turned to find...a large man in a sumo outfit.

Ryu blinked. "What the hell did I just drop in on?"

Apparently the large man had been tracking down the people behind slave trafficking in this little town. Fuu had been tricked into being a model and was almost sold off and put on a European ship. The Officer shut the whole shop down, and arrested an older man for being the owner.

"I really did drop in on some weird shit, didn't I?" Ryu sighed, watching as the sun began to set on the bridge he now stood upon.

"Matsu, what are you doing here?" Fuu asked.

He frowned. "What am I doing here? Shouldn't I be the one getting answers?" He growled. "I told you not to leave that village. Do you know how worried I was when I received word that you had run off after helping a pair of criminals escape execution?" He glanced at the two behind him. "No offense."

The man in red smirked. "None take, asshole."

The man in red, as Ryu learned, was Mugen and the other companion was Jin. Jin was a spectacled man with long black hair tied in a loose ponytail with two strands to frame his face. In a simple indigo blue keikogi and hakama, the keikogi was adorned with multiple symbols that are four squares in a diamond formation on the right pec, sleeves, and the back. There was a teal beaded bracelet on his right wrist and his blades were to his left.

"Fuu, who is this?" Jin asked.

"Ahh, this is Matsu; he's my brother!"

"Adopted brother," Ryu corrected her. "Call me Ryu; and I apologize for anything she has done. I know how she can be."

"Apology accepted." Jin nodded.

"Pay me, and I'll think about it," Mugen replied, flipping through a book in his hands.

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Fuu growled. "And let me ask you where you've been? Not even a letter in five years? What the hell, Matsu?"

"Well," Ryu rubbed the back of his head. "I got involved with some bad stuff and I didn't want them to try and track me through you so I kept my distance for a while." there was a squeak and he smiled as a brown flying squirrel crawled onto his shoulder and began to rub it's face against his. "Hey, Momo; good to see you, too."

"Trouble?" Fuu raised a brow. "What kind of trouble?"

"Well, I suppose I can't get mad at you for traveling with a criminal, considering..."

"Considering what?"

"Uh...I'd better let them tell that story," Ryu waved a hand. "But that's besides the point. Fuu, what are you trying to do?"

"I...I've hired Jin and Mugen to help me...help me find the samurai who smells of sunflowers."

"Sunflowers..." Ryu's mouth turned into a frown. To think that she was doing that... "Fuu-"

"Don't say it, Matsu," Fuu cut him off. "This is my choice. You can either help or not but that's not going to change my mind."

Ryu frowned. He knew why Fuu was after the Sunflower Samurai, knew what she wanted, but that didn't mean that he liked it. "It'll be dangerous, Fuu. You can run into...well, crap like this." He gestured to the town around them. "And, no offense, I don't like the idea of you being alone with two men."

"So three will make it better?" Mugen grinned from behind his book.

"Well, I'm traveling with two women so-"

"Two women!?" Mugen jumped up with an interested look. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!" He leaned closer. "Are they hot?"

"Umm..."

"Come on, are they an eight? A nine? Or...are they a ten?"

"Well, if I was to rate them..."

"Don't even!" Fuu clapped her hands over her ears. "I don't want to hear it!"

"Aww, you're just jealous."

"Let me just explain one thing...Liza and Reiko aren't...normal."

"Oh?" Mugen raised a brow.

Jin turned around as well. "They're not normal?"

"You'll understand...eventually," Ryu gave a grin. "So, I guess you've got another set of companions; when we find them."

"What do you mean?" Fuu asked.

"You see, the two of them like to disappear at night. Sometimes I'll catch up to them in the next town or-"

"You mean you're stalking them?" Mugen laughed.

"No, if anything, they're stalking me!" Ryu replied. "Then again, they do stand out so they can cause a ruckus; in more ways than one."

Fuu hung her head as Mugen continued to pound Ryu with more questions. "Why do I have a feeling this this whole trip just got worse?"

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 _ **Chapter Two**_

 _ **The Terror Sisters**_

" **I wonder where he's at right now."**

Reiko glanced at the woman sitting beside her. "You can't be serious."

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Not at all."

Liza chuckled and turned her gaze back to the sky. "I'm more comfortable with it just being the two of us but you have to admit...having Ryu could be comical. Five years is a long time."

"Too long," Reiko spat, sipping from her cup. "I don't like it when men justify their stalking as 'protection'."

Liza gave another laugh. "You know that he wasn't stalking us; we were just headed in the same direction."

"And then every time we parted ways just to find him right there again?"

"In his defense, we did that to him several times, too."

Reiko lowered her cup. "Elizabeth," The blonde woman winced at her full name being used. "Do you...like Matsu?" Liza gave her friend a blank look. Reiko gave a sigh. "My apologies."

Pulling her smile back up, Liza finished the last dango on the plate between them. "With how many times we've tried to ditch each other, perhaps there's something else at play here; something that wants us to stay together. Like God." Reiko gave a snort. Liza believed in the man above but she had no use for such trivial things as that; not after what she had been through. Liza frowned at her. "Don't believe it?"

"Not at all."

"Fine, let's make a bet. If we run into Ryu again then there's no more running. We stick with him and figure out just what is making us constantly run into him."

The other woman raised a brow. "Are you serious?"

"Dead," Liza locked eyes with her companion. "If we never see him again, I'll shut up about it but if we do end up beside him then there's no more running; we'll stick to him."

Reiko was silent for a moment. There was always the chance of not seeing the young man again. It's not that she disliked him personally, but she didn't trust men. In the five years that they had been forced together she had learned that Ryu was different than most men that she had known but there was always that fleeting doubt in her mind that made her clench her hand around the handle of her sword. Several times she had forced herself to stay awake and watch as Ryu and Liza slept. She would never give him a chance to-

"Fine," Reiko answered. "But we're not to go searching for him. "He has to show up himself."

"Good, "Liza leaned back in her seat. "Because I just saw him walk by outside."

Reiko blinked. "WHAT?!"

 **Ryu lifted a brow at the shout from the tea shack behind them.** "What the hell's happening in there?"

"Does that really matter?" Mugen asked, a frown on his face. "We gotta figure out a way to get our swords back."

"No, you guys have to," Ryu smirked, placing a hand on the blade at his waist. "I can't believe you really gave your swords in a bidding." He glanced at Fuu. "And I also can't believe that you gave up like that."

"I wasn't giving up," Fuu grumbled angrily. "I told you that there was a fly! I'm still starving over here."

"That is very hard to believe," Jin commented, pushing his glasses up.

"And I cant' believe that we're actually following this weirdo around!" Mugen growled, glaring at the large man in front of them.

The weirdo that Mugen was referring to was a large, redhead with an accent. He was clearly not from Japan, and not just due to his way of speaking. He had employed the group in touring him around the city. Ryu had caught word of Ronin searching for the European so he and Jin were coming up ways to keep out of sight.

The fireworks that night really made the European excited. Ryu gave a sigh and as he watched the explosions in the sky, he found himself thinking about Reiko and Liza. He knew that it might have been best for them not to get involved with searching for the Sunflower Samurai, knew that they had enough trouble to deal with on their own accounts, but he couldn't help it. He had been with the two women for five years. He was worried about them getting caught or hurt and everything else that could possibly happen.

"I swear, I can't believe how much you two can eat." Mugen frowned, staring at Fuu and the European, Jouji, as he liked to be called. They had settled down to eat dinner, though Fuu and Jouji had been eating all day even after the competition.

"Are you kidding?" Fuu asked. "I always have room for free food."

"The sun has set," Jin began, calmly sipping his tea. "Sure;y you've seen enough of Edo by now."

Jouji smile. "No, not yet. I see more. There is lots more!"

Ryu gave a sigh. "Of course you do." He then frowned as a voice called throughout the restaurant.

"We've received a report that a European is in this restaurant. Hiding him wouldn't be in your best interest. Harboring him makes you an accomplice! Is that clear?"

At the mention of a European, Ryu's thoughts instantly went back to Liza but when the Ronin stated that it was a man they were after, he glanced at Jouji. "So, what' now?"

Mugen gave a grin, sipping more sake. "When someone talks like that, it puts me in a harboring kind of mood."

His words caught the Ronins attention.

"What's that? What did you just say to me? Interfere in police business, and you'll live to regret it."

Ryu hung his head as the men encircled them all. "Just great."

"I almost respect you for that, but it's in your own interest not to resist."

"If I were you, I'd apologize while I still had the chance."

Mugen stood up, rolling his shoulder. "When someone talks to me like that, it kinda pisses me off and I want to resist even more." He looked at Jouji. "Hey, gimme that sword on your back, will ya?"

The large man just stared at him. "I no gimme."

Mugen pulled a face. "Wha-? This ain't no time to be stingy, you bastard!"

"My, my, my," A voice called out from the other side of the restaurant, a few seats down. "We came in here for peace and quiet and yet here we find a bunch of fools disrupting such a peaceful night. It's a shame."

Ryu felt his mouth drop open as the tall form stood; he'd recognize that blonde hair anywhere.

Liza gave her arms a stretch, tilting her head to the side as she let them fall. "I hate it when my meal is interrupted, don't you, Rei?"

The other woman gave a sigh. "Keep me out of your games, Liza."

She smiled. "I guess I couldn't hide from the law for much longer anyway, huh?" She rolled her neck. "Your European's right here, pal."

"It...it was a woman this entire time?" One of the men gasped.

"Why did they say a man?"

"Because you're morons," Liza replied. "So are we going to do this or what?"

"G-get her!"

With the five of them completely forgotten now, Ryu watched as the police attacked Liza. He stood up to help but Fuu grabbed his sleeve, dragging him out of the building behind her and the others.

"I don't know who they are, but let's take this chance to get the hell out of here"! Fuu told him.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Jin asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Did you see the size of that weapon she grabbed? She'll be fine!" Mugen grinned. "The more important question would be how big did you think her-"

"No, no, no, no," Ryu slapped his hands over his ears. "I'm not hearing this!"

Mugen had been referring to the Naginata that Liza had grabbed right before they left the building. Instead of using the one more prone to women, the English woman had trained herself with the ones that the men would use. Seeming as how she was taller and her limbs were longer than most of the women, and men, here in Japan, she used it well. And with Reiko there, he had no doubt that the women would be fine.

Ryu thought that they were done, but Jouji had conned them into watching a play with Noriemon Nakamura. Ryu wanted to just leave but he had to stay in case more guards showed up. He hated sitting through things like this; especially since he knew that Nakamura was really a man. He'd rather watch a real woman on the stage. As Jouji went to go see the actor, a secret was revealed.

"This good. I like man better."

Everyone pulled a shocked look.

"The dude's a fag." Ryu and Mugen shared a look before both began to laugh, having to hold the other up.

"That explains so much!" Mugen howled.

Jouji ignored them. "You are just my type. My kind of man." Their laughter just got harder. "I ask you favor. Will you listen to my story?" He closed his eyes. "I am not really a Japanese. I come here from Holland."

Ryu and Mugen, wiping tears from their eyes, finally stopped laughing as the big man continued to talk. A man loving another man is against the bible so Jouji was treated like a deviant. He came across a book called 'Great Mirror of Male Love' and decided to come to Japan.

"There you are!"

At the voice, the group turned to see that the cops had found them again. Does this mean that they beat Liza and Reiko? Or had the two women run off when their group was safe and gone?

"I do not understand," Jouji frowned. "Why do you arrest me? I do nothing wrong."

"Here in our land of the rising sun, even if dogs, cats, or even worms are allowed to live, there's no law saying that foreigners are allowed to! As soon as we're done with you, we'll find that other European and capture her, too!"

"That's what all this is about?" Ryu raised a brow. "You do understand that, in the long run, every country is going to have foreigners. It's inevitable. Hell, your descendants are probably going to marry one."

"Shut your mouth!"

"Fact is fact," Jin replied smoothly.

"Never!"

From behind the doors came another voice in a strange language and they all watched as a group of men, all with pots on their heads, joined them. It was more Europeans.

"I swear," Ryu began as Jouji gave Mugen and Jin their swords back so they could fight. "I don't even know what's going on anymore."

"Aren't...aren't you going to help them?" Fuu asked.

"Why should I? They look like they've got it under control."

Mugen led the entire fight out onto the stage, Jouji and the others following them as Ryu kept Fuu behind the scenes to watch as a man brought forth a Scarlet Seal of the Shogunate. Turns out that Jouji was really Governor-General Izaac Titsingh, the chief merchant of the Dutch East India Company's Japan Branch.

The cops instantly bowed their heads. "W-we humbly beg your forgiveness for our insolence!"

"What's that mean?" Mugen asked.

Jin was the one to answer. "That means that he's a special foreigner who has official dispensation from the Shogunate."

'All me to introduce myself. I am Sukeemon Tanaka, assigned by the Shogunate as their interpreter.

Izaac and one of the other Dutch men began to talk. From the defeated look on his face, he had given in to returning home.

"I guess is was only dream that I get to live as Japanese," Jouji sighed the next morning as he bid the group goodbye. "But I suppose that is not possible yet."

"Hey, cheer up," Fuu smiled.

He smiled at her. "But eventually, the day will come when this country will accept people like me. I am sure one day things will change and people here will not be so tight-assed."

Mugen gave a grin. "Like anyone's gonna be able to relax their ass with you around."

Jouji laughed. "I wish to show you my gratitude."

Mugen shook his head. "Forget it. It's not like we did anything for it." He turned to leave, Jin right behind him.

"If you'll excuse us."

"See ya!""

"Later, Jouji." Ryu gave him a wave. "And good luck."

"Hey, wait a second." Fuu cried after them before turning back to Jouji.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Mugen asked, arms crossed behind his head. Ryu grinned as Fuu caught up with them a few minutes later.

"Isn't it obvious?" Fuu grinned, moving ahead of the three men.

"What's obvious?" Ryu asked.

She glanced at him. "We're going to Nagasaki!"

Ryu stopped in his footsteps. "Nagasaki?"

Nagasaki...that was where Reiko was from. That' where...

"Something wrong?" Jin asked, pausing beside the other man.

"No...not...for me, anyway."

Mugen turned to look at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it's none of your business, asshole."

"Oh, you're just looking for a fight now, pal!" Mugen grabbed his sword.

"You really think you'll be able to do anything to me?" Ryu grabbed his own.

"Hey now," Fuu put herself between the duo as Jin gave a silent sigh. "This isn't the time for this, Ryu!"

"He started it."

"Like hell I did!"

"Oh dear."

Jin's voice grabbed their attention and they turned to see that the cops from the night before had returned, this time a younger man was at the front of the patrol, staring at Ryu.

"Can we help you?" Fuu asked, her hands still tightly gripped to Ryu's clothes.

"You there, are you Ryu Matsu?"

The man in question felt a frown tugging at his lips. He instantly pulled Fuu behind him. "It depends on who's asking."

"I knew I recognized you," the young man began. "Your face...I could never forget it." He glanced around the area. "When I received reports of Rush and Noba in town, I knew that you would be here as well. Where are they? It'll be easier to take you all in at once."

Fuu pulled a frown. "Ryu, what are they talking about?"

The older man ignored her words and let a grin spread across his face. "Is that right? And just what makes you think that you'll be able to do that? You're just a group of wanna-bes; you really think you can take me in when you can't even fight off a set of women?"

"So, it seems we're not the only outlaws in this happy little shit-fest," Mugen grinned at the other man. "Just what did you do?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that."

"Ryu Matsu, you're under arrest for helping in the escape of the Terror Sisters and eluding the Shinsengumi." The man took a step forward. "Surrender the Terror Sisters to us and we might be able to lower your sentence."

"The Terror Sisters?" A new voice joined them. "That's the best you can come up with? I'm insulted. It sounds retarded."

Jin raised a brow, things getting more confusing the longer all this went on. It was the two women from the restaurant the night before. The one to speak had been the blonde; that smirk of her seemed to be glued to her face. The one that caught Jin's attention was the one beside her, though. The sullen, uncaring look on her face reminded him much of the look he often wore himself.

"Why are we always saving you, Matsu?" The blond called across the way.

Ryu gave her a smirk. "If it wasn't for you two then I wouldn't be in the trouble I'm in now. And if I recall, I'm the one always saving you, Liza."

"Good, now that you're here it's saving us the trouble of tracking you down." The cop grinned. "After I capture you I'll be set for life; the prices on your head are high, whether alive or dead."

"Oh, you poor little boy," Liza shook her head. "Do you really think that you're leaving here alive?"

"Wha-?" the cop barely had time to speak before his head rolled across the ground, Reiko standing before his body, sword in her outstretched hand. No one had time to breathe before the young woman turned her blade to the other cops there, all falling like rocks in a landslide.

"Holy shit." Fuu stared in shock.

"Language," Ryu told the younger woman as Reiko used one of the shirts to clean the blood from her katana before sheathing it. "Still as ruthless as ever."

"And you're still as dumb as ever," Liza grinned, moving forward. "You would think you would learn by now to leave town immediately when the police take notice of you."

"I couldn't leave without Fuu," Ryu replied coolly.

"Fuu?" Liza tilted her head, taking a better look at the younger woman behind the man. "So this is the little sister that you were talking about, is it?"

"That's right."

"Matsu," Fuu began timidly. "Who are they?"

"Ahh, how rude. These are the two companions of mine that I was telling you about. Elizabeth Rush and Reiko Noba."

"Please, just Liza is fine."

Reiko glared at the man. "You have a habit of following us, Matsu. You should break it; and fast."

"Oh, come on, that wasn't part of the deal, Reiko!"

"Deal?" Jin asked.

"That's right. We made a deal. Since we keep running into eachother, we made a bet. The next time we met, we were stuck with you."

Ryu frowned. "Aren't I getting enough trouble from you two? I'm already running from the law."

"Just to join two more men running from the law, right?" Liza grinned. "Isn't this the same little girl that broke two convicts from prison in a certain town and then ran off?"

"You seem to know a lot about us," Mugen grinned. "Don't we get an introduction? Just who the hell are you two?"

"They're Elizabeth Rush...and Reiko Noba..." A voice gasped from the ground. At Liza's feet one of the officers was still alive, though barely. "They're...the two...single-handedly responsible for the destruction and slaughter of the entire Castle Norika."

"Oh look, you missed one, Reiko. You're getting sloppy."

Reiko snorted, turning her face away.

"You've...been on the run...for ten years..." The man reached forward, reaching for Liza's kimono. "You will...be caught...so-"

His voice stopped when the blade of Liza's Naginata was shoved through the back of his head, his hand dropping to the ground before it could touch her clothes.

Liza wore that happy grin in her face still as she dislodged the blade from the dead man's skull. "I don't like it when filth tries to touch me," Lifting her eyes back to Ryu she continued to smile. "Oh, is the little girl afraid?"

Ryu glanced at Fuu and found the younger woman shaking. He placed an arm around her shoulders. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Kasami. I trust these two women with my life; they won't try and harm you."

"Besides, you're not my type," Liza added.

"Hot damn!" Mugen grinned at the blonde. "The things I would do to you!"

Liza laughed. "You'll have to pay for that, little boy."

He look interested. "Oh really? And just what's the price?"

"Oh, I'm not picky. Fingers, heads, blood; as long as I get to watch."

Mugen's mouth dropped open.

"What kind of people are you traveling with?" Fuu asked her brother.

"Not normal ones, apparently," Ryu gave a nervous laugh. "You play too much, Liza."

"Who's playing? I'm so serious. Nothing turns me on more than-"

"Enough, Elizabeth," Reiko told her companion. "You'll end up putting him in a coma if you continue."

Fuu and Ryu both shook their heads as Liza laughed. Mugen had begun to drool, hearts in his eyes as he imagined his fantasy scenes over and over in his head.

Jin gave a frown. He knew about the fall of Norika Castle. Ten years ago everyone was found slaughtered in the castle. The suspects wanted was said to be two maids from the castle who had disappeared when the flames engulfed the castle. The way the Lord was found was said to be...very brutal. Were these two women really responsible? They seemed young; if they were then they committed murder at such a young age.

"Why...why did you kill the ones in Norika?" Fuu asked. "What made you become killers?"

"I did what I had to," Reiko replied coldly. "Criminal, murderer," Her eyes were like daggers. "Call me what you want; it means not. I don't need to justify my actions to anyone."

Fuu shrank away from the older woman; Liza laughed.

"Don't scare her too much now, Reiko," Liza looked at Ryu again. "It looks like you're stuck with us again, Matsu. So...where are we heading?"

Ryu frowned. "You're serious about this?"

"It's not like we have anything better to do," The blonde replied. "Besides, it appears that you're getting dragged into some strange situations. If we stay with you then that might mean that I can get more people to kill and that's always fun."

"Oooh, we're gonna get along just fine." Mugen grinned at her.

"Try and keep your blood lust under control, Elizabeth," Reiko sighed. "We have enough problems on our hands as it is."

"Well, I would be able to quench my thirst in a different way if the brothel in the last village hadn't been closed down!" Liza sighed. "Such a shame, too."

"The brothel?" Jin raised a brow. This woman did realize that brothels only help female bodies, didn't she?

"Uh...we did that, didn't we?" Fuu asked, glancing at Mugen.

"What?!" Liza glared at the trio before her. "You bastards! I was looking forward to that, too!"

"So what, you're into chicks or something?" Mugen asked her.

"Hey, sex is sex," She grinned. "Men, women...hell, I'm up for a three-way if it comes down to it; it all depends on the mood; and if you can pay me enough."

Mugen's grin grew wider. "The two of us are going to have so much fun."

"I doubt that," Reiko replied. "I refuse to let her play with dirty toys."

"What did you say?"

Ryu gave a sigh. "I believe that this journey is just going to get worse and worse."

Jin stayed silent but secretly agreed with the other man. Worse; and yet interesting.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 _ **Chapter Three**_

 _ **In all sizes**_

" **We have to do something about your size; seriously.** How have you not blown away yet?"

Fuu gave a grumble. "Some of us aren't English like you are, Liza."

"Oh, that's just an excuse!" The blonde woman chuckled. "Reiko has more muscle than both of those men you're traveling with! Ryu is the only one that can rival her."

"But he can't rival you," Fuu reached up and poked the woman's arm; it felt like a rock. "I don't think anyone I know can."

"Well, its from using this," She rolled her shoulders, making the Naginata move a bit. "This is typically meant for male wielders but I wanted it anyway."

"Why is that?"

"The female ones were all too short for me."

Fuu hung her head. "I think everything woman-wise would be too small for you, Liza. You're a giant!"

The woman laughed happily. "I cannot deny that things are different over here but that shouldn't make you feel bad. Everyone has their own, likable qualities that others will notice. You just have to find them first." She leaned her head down to whisper in the other woman's ear. "If you need help finding your own, just let me know; I can take care of it."

Fuu felt her face growing red at the hot breath on her neck and jumped a bit away. "N-no thanks! I'm good!"

Liza's grin didn't seem to change as they continued to walk down the street. "So...how do you think the others are faring?"

Fuu had to calm her heart. She had witnessed Liza's...sexual tastes over the last week of traveling with her, she flirted with everything, but it was still embarrassing when it was placed on her. Liza even managed to get Jin embarrassed; before Reiko had ordered her to knock it off.

Reiko was the one that Fuu found herself most interested in. Silent, always glaring, there was rarely a smile on her face. She had caught sight of it once, though, when she and Liza excused themselves to a separate room for the night. Liza had made a comment about them having some fun and Reiko had been fighting her smile. Fuu found herself wondering of the two women actually...

"I'm not sure but hopefully they caught that little thief!"

"He stole the money yesterday," Liza replied. "He's probably spent it all, you know? We should just leave before the shogunate or whatever the police over here is called."

"But, without that money, we'll just starve!" Fuu replied. "I'm tired of going hungry!"

"You know, you could just ask me for money; as long as you pay me back."

Fuu tried not to flush under the suggestive look on Liza's face. "No thank you. I know exactly what you would like in return and I refuse."

Liza continued to grin. "You and I both know that Ryu won't let you starve; it's the other two that I'm more worried about."

At the mention of her adopted brother, Fuu glanced at Liza again. "Just...how did you guys meet Matsu?"

Liza's grin grew darker. "Reiko and I had been in a tight bind with the law about five years ago; we were almost captured before he jumped in and saved us. Imagine his surprise when he found out he wasn't just helping a set of women escape from the greedy hands of men. Since then he's been seen as our ally; poor thing. I almost feel sorry for him."

Fuu frowned. With that smile always on her face and her carefree attitude, you wouldn't expect Liza to be a murderer; she was nothing like Mugen, at least. Then again, this woman was known as one of the, albeit a terrible name, Terror Sisters. Ten years ago Norika Castle was slaughtered and burnt to the ground and the law were claiming that these two women did it. If they had then Liza had to have been only eight when that happened; Reiko only fourteen. Were the two of them truly capable of doing something as horrible as that?

Fuu shuddered. Liza's face as she shoved her Naginata blade through that officer's skull for trying to touch her in the last town was enough to stop her questions; there was no doubt in her mind that Liza would slaughter anything she wanted to. That evil grin had been on Liza's face like always, yes, but it was the look in those blue eyes of hers, they were deader than the loon that Reiko's held. It what made Fuu shake like she had at their first meeting.

To be honest, she was still wary of being alone with the other woman, waiting for her to do something that enraged the blonde who would have no second thoughts about leaving her as a body in the street, but Ryu had assured her that she wouldn't be touched. She wanted to believe him but she was going to refuse EVER being alone with this older woman again; anywhere.

Fuu's wallet of money, after winning in a gambling ring, had been stolen earlier that day and now the group had split up to look for it. Or, if it were to be said honestly, Fuu was searching while Liza laughed at her.

"Ooh, there's Reiko!" Liza instantly squealed. Grabbing Fuu's arm, she dragged the other woman towards the two that stood across the street.

Reiko stood there with her arms crossed, clearly annoyed as she tapped a foot on the ground, Jin not too far away talking to a few people about the young thief.

"Jin," Fuu was relieved to see the silent man. "Any luck?"

"None," The man sighed, shaking his head. "Hopefully Mugen and Ryu had had better luck."

"I doubt it," Reiko snorted. "Ryu couldn't find his way out of a hole in the ground."

"Hmm," Liza chuckled. "It looks like it'll be getting dark soon," She smiled at the older woman. "Wanna ditch these losers and go get a room?"

"What? A room!?" Fuu exclaimed. "You've got that much money on you?"

"But of course," Liza grinned. "You don't think we just leave the dead bodies where they fall do you? Maybe you guys should learn a thing or two from us. It'll save you problems in the future."

"Let's go, Elizabeth," Reiko turned, moving down the street without another glance.

"Wait! Can't you guys help us!?" Fuu cried.

"I told you the price, sweetheart," Liza winked at her. "So until you agree to my terms I'm afraid I can't help."

Fuu stomped her foot. "You're heartless."

"Murderer," She reminded her happily. She gave a grin at Jin then. "But if the Samurai wants to come I'd happily let him. I'd even treat him to dinner first."

Jin turned his face, trying to ignore the heat he could feel rising. "I'll pass."

Liza shrugged her shoulders. "Your loss." She happily skipped after the other woman. Fuu watched with a frown; it was awkward to see so tall of a blonde woman walking beside Reiko. She could use the other woman's head as an arm rest if she wanted to.

"They actually left us here with nothing." Fuu sighed, turning to the Ronin. "What do we do now?"

"We find Mugen and Ryu," Jin answered, turning his back to the other two women. "And hope they lucked out better than we did."

Liza glanced over her shoulder as Jin and Fuu went the opposite way. "So, I'm just going out on a limb here, but you saw the little thief, didn't you?"

"You and I both know the answer to that."

"Then why not tell them? You know Ryu will whine about us making him sleep outside again all day tomorrow. I thought that annoyed you."

"And I care why?"

'We could at least bring the girl with us. She's female, after all; and no where near strong enough to try and pull anything on us."

"With the way you've been hounding her then I seriously doubt she'd feel comfortable enough to sleep."

"True," Liza gripped her chin. "Maybe we could lure her with food."

"We're not luring her anywhere, Elizabeth." Reiko put an end to anymore talk of that.

Liza gave a sigh and just followed after the other woman in silence. The duo visited the bathhouse of the inn they were staying at and Liza was happily talking as Reiko red something by candlelight. Growing bored, Liza sat up.

"I'm going to go for a walk; wanna come?"

"No," Reiko didn't move her gaze from the pages. "If you run into officers again please try to hide instead of making a show out of it."

"Only because you asked."

Leaving her Naginata and knives in the corner, the English woman pulled her green Kimono back on, leaving her left shoulder off like always, and left with a grin on her face. She was going for a walk so she wouldn't need her weapon; she could do just enough damage with her hands so there was no need for her to be worried.

This town was extremely boring at night. As she walked along the streets, Liza was hoping to see some type of fighting or entertainment but there wasn't; there wasn't even a redlight district or a brothel here to entertain herself with.

~Maybe I should have just stayed with Reiko in the room,~ She sighed to herself, stopping in the street. ~Or I could just find some poor sap to-~ Her thoughts were cute off as a man walked out of a building ahead of her. Her grin returned.  
"Oh, if it isn't the cute one,"

The man from their happy, little bunch turned to look at the woman, a grin spreading across his face at the sight of her. "I was wondering where you had disappeared off to. Matsu was afraid that you had run off on him again."

"I'm afraid that even if we did, somehow we would run into him over and over until we killed him off ourselves," She gave him another look. "It was Mugen, right? Don't tell me you're still trying to find that thief this late."

"That was the plan but the others have retired for the night. I came back in search of food."

Liza continued to smile. "Poor thing. You haven't eaten all day, have you? If you want, you can come join me; I was just in the mood for some dumplings and sake."

"What about the others?"Mugen asked her.

She gave him another of her grins before turning to head off down the street. "What about the others?"

Mugen mimicked her grin before beginning to follow her. In all honesty, he had been wanting to catch Liza on her own since meeting her but Reiko had placed herself in his way every chance she got. Now that the other woman wasn't here, though, this was his chance.

"So, tell me," Liza began after they were seated and ordered. They had settled in a small restaurant close to the inn that she and Reiko were staying at. There weren't many people around, signaling that closing time was soon. "Just how is it that you ended up traveling with the little girl and the Ronin?"

"Pure, bad luck," Mugen replied, sipping at the sake before him. "I tried ditching them but we ended back up together again."

"Sounds like us, don't it?" She snickered. "Fate works in funny ways, don't you agree?"

"If you want to call it that."

"What else is there to call it?"

"Stupidity?" He offered.

"Hmm."

Mugen stared at her for a moment as their food was set before them. "What's and English woman doing here in Japan? You attract a lot of attention; just like that dutch guy."

"That would be my mother's fault," she answered around the dumplings she had placed in her mouth. "Fell in love with a samurai after my father died and dragged us over here to be with him. Don't remember much about either of them, really. Don't care too, either."

"Is that so," He took another drink. "Ever thought about going back."

"Not once," She replied. "And even if I did, I have my face all over the ports to make sure that I don't get out of the country. I'd have to slaughter countless people to get out and I refuse to deal with useless things like that."

"Speaking of which...that castle that guy was talking about...just what did you two do to it?"

As an answer, Liza moved to take a seat beside Mugen, refilling his sake glass, pressing their shoulders together.

"Why waste time talking about trivial things about that? I heard through the vine that you used to be a pirate. What was life on the sea like?"

Mugen knew that she was just trying to change the subject but he let it drop. Besides, it wasn't often that he had a woman this close to him this willingly, after all. Why let it go to waste by trying to figure out why she and her companion destroyed an entire castle?

"This is such a change of pace," Liza smiled, feeding Mugen the last dumpling on the table nearly an hour later. "Reiko's not that talkative and I have an impression that Ryu is gay. You truly are more entertaining that I thought you'd be."

"Than you thought, huh?" He grinned. "It doesn't have to stop here, you know?"

"And just what do you have in mind?"

His answer was a smooth look from the corner of his eyes. Setting his glass down, he turned his body to face her sliding a finger up her bare arm to her shoulder. She shuddered, rolling her shoulder back slightly.

"Oh?" Mugen gave her a grin. "I didn't take you for the ticklish type."

Liza gave him a seductive smile. "The best surprises can come in all sizes."

"I suppose they can," He murmured before pressing his lips against her neck now, giving little nips along her exposed skin. "I normally don't like surprises, but I think I can handle this one."

Letting his left hand travel down her body, he couldn't help but grin as she grabbed his shirt when his hand entered the parting of her kimono and found her left leg. Her grip tightened on his arm as his hand traveled up further; her skin was so smooth. Liza's free hand laced itself through Mugen's hair, pulling his lips down to catch them in a kiss. With a grin, he licked her lips, asking for entrance as his hand teasingly went higher up her leg, his other hand pulling her harder and harder against himself.

"Elizabeth."

The cold, deadly voice broke the moment. The English woman pulled back instantly, separating herself from the man as she fixed the bottom of her kimono. Mugen glanced behind them and found Reiko standing there with a furious look on her face. He did a double-take. Reiko's hair was down, falling to her waist in dark waves; she definitely looked better like that.

"Too bad," Liza gave Mugen's arm another squeeze. "Mother calls; we'll have to finish this next time, sweetheart."

"Too bad," Mugen replied as her warmth left him. "It was just getting good."

"Hmm," She stared at him for a moment before dropping a pouch on the table and turning to join Reiko. The older woman would have set Mugen on fire with just her gaze if she were able to.

Mugen watched as the two women left the building before sighing and downing the rest of the sake in his cup. He was so close. Now how was he supposed to-

Looking at the pouch Liza had dropped, he dumped it out; sake almost came out of his nose at the sight of all the gold coins that came pouring out.

"Holy shit!"

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	5. Chapter 4

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 **This Chapter is basically just to give some depth to Reiko and Liza. Hopefully you guys don't find it boring.**

 _ **Chapter Four**_

 _ **Trust**_

" **What's wrong with you?"**

"That woman is the problem."

"Which one?"

"Which on do you think?!"

Ryu gave a sigh as Mugen growled at him. "What did Reiko do now?"

"She's putting herself between Liza and me."

Ryu blinked. "Wait, you were serious in wanting Liza?"

"You can't let a piece of ass like that get away; especially when she's willing to give it. I'm starting to believe that she was right when she told me you were gay."

"I'm not gay," Ryu gave another sigh. "And Liza flirts, a lot, but I seriously doubt she'd actually sleep with you. I've known her for five years and she's only ever slept in a room with Reiko."

"That you've seen," Mugen replied. "Besides, I told you what happened in the last town."

"Yeah, you told me, but I seriously doubt it."

Mugen glared at the man beside him. "You really piss me off, you know that?"

While Reiko and Liza happily had enough money to take care of themselves, the others had to pawn off Jin's glasses to get some cash. Fuu kept getting hit on in the restaurant they were eating at; until Ryu put a foot in the guys ass and sent him outside.

Liza and Reiko wasted no time in leaving the others while they ate. Liza announced they were going shopping, leaving Fuu here with the three men of the group. The moment they had left, Mugen had begun to talk about Liza, making Ryu frown.

"Don't get involved in her game, Mugen." He told him. "I don't know what Liza's playing at but I doubt its something good. It could get dangerous."

"I'm an outlaw," Mugen replied smoothly. "Danger is my middle name."

Fuu glanced at him. "Is it really?"

Mugen smacked a hand to his face. "Moron."

Ryu gave a sigh as he continued to eat. ~I really should have gone after the girls.~

Reiko gave a sneeze, pausing in front of a shop down the street.

"Are you getting sick?" Liza asked, raising a hand to her friend's forehead.

"I'm fine," The older woman shook her head but gave her friend a side look. "Are you sure that you want to travel with them? We could take off right now and go back the way we came since we know where they're heading now."

The blonde laughed. "I understand your feelings, Rei, but this could turn out to be really fun! Besides, screwing around with them is entertaining."

"You mean like what you were doing with that man a few nights ago?"

Liza paused in her steps and leaned over, leveling her face with the shorter woman. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

Reiko crossed her arms and turned her head away. "You're hearing things."

"There's no need to hide things from me, you know," Liza wrapped an arm around Reiko's shoulders and let her grin grow wider as the Japanese women knocked it off. "You really need to know how to show more affection in public, Rei. We can't keep hiding it in the bedroom, you know."

Reiko gave a sigh and shook her head. "You're lucky you're endearing."

"Aren't I?" Liza placed a hand over her chest with a huge grin and struck a pose before hurrying after Reiko when she started moving again. "So, what's the plan?"

"There isn't one," Was the answer. "I just wanted to get away from...that."

"Oh? You mean that guy trying to pick Fuu up?"

"That's part of it, yes," Reiko led them to a small bridge that sat in the center of town and watched as people bustled around, buying and talking and doing their normal routines. Liza took a seat on the benches by the bridge and Reiko followed suit, watching everyone. The sun would set soon. "Are you not annoyed by this? All their complaining and stupidity?"

"It's rather comical, really. Then again, I find a lot of things funny, considering...our situation." Liza answered truthfully. "Listening to something like them and getting involved with it is a way of escaping the thoughts in my head. You should try it some time."

"And was what you were doing with Mugen a way of escaping too?"

Liza glanced at her companion. '"You ARE jealous."

"I'm concerned. You know I don't like it when you...let them close to you like that."

"I would have stopped things before it got too crazy."

"Are you sure about that?" Liza's playfulness was gone and her blue eyes turned to ice as she stared at the other woman. Reiko turned her head away. "Never mind."

Liza's cheerfulness returned to her face as her smile spread again. "Besides, you know that you're the only one I'll ever share a bed with, Rei!"

Giving a sigh, Reiko closed her eyes. She was nervous about traveling with these people; very nervous. She didn't trust anyone; especially men. Hell, she still didn't trust Ryu and they had been traveling together for the last five years. The only one that she needed was Liza. She was fine with it just being the two of them. She didn't need anyone else.

Opening an eye as her hair fell down her back, Liza was twirling her hair pin in her fingers with a smile.

"You should really leave your hair down more. It makes you look sexy."

"Coming from the one that wears hers up all the time too."

"Mine has style," Liza brushed the side ponytail she had. "Not just a ball on the back of my head. Yours makes you look like an old woman."

"And yours makes you stand out."

"Rei, I'm blonde and nearly half a foot taller than all the women in this country. I can literally use your head as an armrest without much effort. Believe me, it's not my hairstyle that makes me stand out. Besides, I was thinking about cutting it; what do you think?"

She chose her next words carefully. "How short do you want it?"

Liza closed her own eyes this time, her fingers combing through Reiko's hair. "Not that short. I'll never allow it to be cut that short ever again."

She always liked playing with Reiko's hair since she was a child. The two of them had been together since she was twelve and Liza was six, their bond stronger than anyone else they had met; Liza was willing to bet they were closer than anyone on the planet. Playing with Reiko's hair always calmed her down as a child and it had just stayed with her as they grew older.

"Will you sing a song?"

Liza opened her eyes and glanced at the older woman. Reiko was staring ahead of them, her face as blank as it always us. A soft smile spread across her lips. "Which one do you want to hear?"

"It doesn't matter."

The blonde woman raised her eyes to the sky, searching her mind for something to sing before she settled on a song. She closed her eyes and began in a soft, low tune.

" _Wait a second, let me catch my breath_

 _Remind me how it feels to hear your voice_

 _your lips are moving, I can't hear a thing_

 _Living life as if we had a choice._

 _Anywhere, Any time, I would do anything for you_

 _Anything for you_

 _Yesterday, Got away, Melody Stuck,_

 _Inside your head_

 _A song in every breath_

 _Sing me to sleep now, Sing me to sleep_

 _Oh just sing me to sleep now, Sing me to sleep."_

Liza smiled as Reiko's head now rested against her left arm. The Japanese woman was falling asleep. The older woman hadn't gotten any sleep last night. The group had slept out ion the woods and Reiko refused to sleep with the others there. It was also the main reason why Reiko had left them all behind at the restaurant; it was so she could sleep. Reiko's nights when she did get to sleep were always so restless, even when she was younger, and Liza's voice had always been able to help with that.

" _Remember me, no Time cannot erase_

 _I can hear your Whispers in my mind_

 _I've become what you cannot embrace_

 _Our memory will be my lullaby_

 _Sing me to sleep now, Sing me to sleep_

 _Won't you sing me to sleep now,_

 _Sing me to sleep."_

Liza owed what life she had now to Reiko. The older woman had risked everything to save her. Liza had offered anything to repay her but Reiko refused everything. Liza would do anything for the woman beside her, even if she only accepted her singing her to sleep. Reiko was just fine with it being the two of them but Liza wanted her to interact with other people again; she'd learn to like it eventually, wouldn't she?

When Reiko's breathing had settled, Liza stopped singing and just sat there with a smile, unmoving as the older woman slept against her. She just watched as people passed by them, some shooting strange looks at them for several reasons. Because Reiko was sleeping on her and because Liza was a foreigner. She was used to the looks, though. If you were different then you were an outcast; it was simple as that.

"Liza? Is everything okay?"

At her name about an hour later, Liza turned to see that Fuu was walking towards them, a worried look on her face as she watched Reiko. Liza smiled, sure to keep her voice down.

"Yes, she's just sleeping." She glanced around her but the thre men were nowhere to be seen. "What happened to the others?"

Fuu puffed her cheeks out. "Ryu left us to come look for the two of you and not long after Mugen and Jin ran off with some woman from the bar! I can't believe they ditched me like that!"

'You can always stay here with the two of us," The blonde smiled.

Fuu stared at her for a moment. This smile was different from the one the foreign woman wore when she flirted with others. This smile was sweet and calming. Fuu was sure it was because of the woman sleeping against her.

"The two of you are close," Fuu took a seat on Liza's other side. "I'm almost jealous. I wish I had someone like that."

"What about Ryu?"

"I haven't seen Ryu in eight years. We used to be close like that but...I'm not so sure anymore."

Liza was silent for a moment, just starring out across the water. "You're welcome to join us if you want; I'll even let you use my other arm for a pillow; or my lap if that makes you feel better."

Fuu laughed; there was this woman's flirting. "Not right now but maybe in the future I'll take you up on that."

Liza continued to smile as they fell silent. Fuu snuck another glance at the blonde woman. She had admitted that she was afraid of Liza because of the way she acted but sitting here with her like this now, she was beginning to wonder whether or not all that flirting of hers was just an act. That's the feeling that she was getting, anyway.

"So, are the six of us staying here for the night?"

Liza's question brought the younger woman from her thoughts. "Yeah, I guess we are. I've only got enough money for one room, though, so-"

"Don't worry about that," Liza told her. "I'll get us three ladies a room to ourselves tonight; the boys can fend for themselves. Besides, Ryu's got enough money to get a room on his own."

Fuu frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I don't mind, but this is the only time it'll be for free, alright?" Liza grinned. "Next time you have to pay me for it."

Fuu smiled back. She could tell that Liza was playing this time; the English woman wasn't really so bad after all. "Then I'll take it; I appreciate it."

The two sat there, talking quietly until the sun began to set. A large crowd had begun to gather and there was the sound of someone making beat-box noises; it made Liza's brow twitch. If they came any closer then Reiko might wake up.

"I'm taking Reiko to an Inn," She told the smaller woman beside her. "I'll let the clerk know you're coming so when you're ready you can just ask them for the room. If you hurry then we could take a bath together while Reiko's asleep." She grinned.

Fuu fought a laugh and a blush all at once and glanced at the sleeping woman. "how are you going to get her there? Wake her up?"

"Nonsense," Carefully, Liza gathered the other woman in her arms and cradled her against her body. As Fuu watched in, Reiko's face was so calm as she slept, any signs of her normal scowl gone, leaving a beautiful woman behind. "I'm used to carrying Reiko around. I'm bigger then her so she's never really been heavy to me; especially after all the training with the Naginata I've undergone."

Fuu nodded in understanding. "I'll go see if I can find Ryu before joining you."

"All right," Liza gave a nod before turning from the bridge. "Be careful."

Fuu watched after the two women with a small smile. No, Liza really wasn't scary to her anymore.

Fuu hadn't joined then until late into the night. Ryu had joined Liza for dinner as Reiko continued to sleep in the room next door. Liza enjoyed Ryu's company more than Reiko did and had gotten drunk with him before slipping back into her own room to sleep well after midnight. Fuu had joined them not long after before slipping into a bath. Liza had fallen asleep before she returned.

It had been a long time since Liza had slept for so long without anything bothering her, outside of her dreams and in them. It was already mid afternoon when Reiko pulled her cover off of her,, making her shiver in the coldness of falling asleep with just her underwear and halter top on the night before.

"I don't wanna get up yet, mom," She mumbled into her pillow.

"Too bad. The others have started a commotion in town and I don't want to be here when the law shows up."

Liza grumbled as she pushed herself to her knees, reaching a hand out for her things. She paused when something cold tapped her in the face and she glanced up to see her belt of knives hanging in her face from the tip of Reiko's finger. The older woman looked displeased.

"Ryu gave them to me this morning, saying you left them in his room last night."

"Well, you were asleep," Liza took the belt and stood as she grabbed her kimono from the floor. "I needed some kind of entertainment last night."

Reiko stared at the younger woman for a moment before hurrying from the room, leaving her alone. Liza gave a sigh. She trusted Ryu, knew that he wouldn't betray him like the others had. Reiko refused to believe it, though. It was one of her rather annoying habits; one that Liza was determined to break.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Five_**

 ** _Lunacy_**

 **"I just…I can't believe you guys got caught!"**

"Your laughing doesn't make it any better, you know."

"Not for you, no. Me, on the other hand…"

Mugen gave a sigh as the woman beside him continued to laugh. It was true that he had been trying to get the Englishwoman alone again, but this was not the way he had thought it would happen.

The group had to pass through Hakone Checkpoint with travel passes. Due to the bounty on Reiko, Liza, and Ryu though, the three of them went off on their own to sneak past the checkpoint, leaving the other three to pass through on their own. Apparently, they had bought fake travel passes and Mugen had to journey through a forest before nightfall before Jin and Fuu were killed. In the events, an entire marijuana field was burnt, resulting in…quite the show that Liza, unhappily, missed.

"So, you didn't think about just ditching them and running off?"

Mugen gave her a look. "Is that what you would've done?"

"If it was anyone other than Reiko? Most likely."

The man couldn't help but grin; he really didn't expect another answer from her.

The group had gone past the Checkpoint and had landed themselves in the house of an old priest for the night. Jin, Fuu, and Reiko were all currently doing stuff around the said house to get board for the night. Reiko had sent Liza off into town wo get a few things and Mugen had decided to follow her. He had to do it in secret due to Reiko's dislike of him but he had done it. Unfortunately, Liza took one look at him and had begun to laugh. He'd let her get away with it though.

Mugen was glad to get away from the others, to be honest. Hearing Fuu complain about being hungry for the last few days was really getting annoying. Ryu tried to keep everyone laughing and he and Mugen got along just fine, but Jin's silence and Reiko's attitude were just as bad as Fuu. Liza just went with the flow, being her normal, flirty self. He had only seen Reiko smile when talking to the taller woman; he could have sword that hell had opened up.

There was a person going around killing skilled samurai, apparently three in the last month. There was a ten ryo bounty on the unknown man's head. Fuu had come to them at the house to talk about the bounty and it was then that Liza decided to take off. Mugen followed right after. He wasn't going to lie; he was a little w worried. Liza was prone to getting herself in trouble; especially with men. She flirted with nearly everything; especially when Reiko wasn't around. He didn't mind her flirting, especially when it was with him, but since that night that Reiko had broken them up, she hadn't done anything, let alone said anything, to him like that again.

Was she just trying to play hard to get? If that was the case, then two could play at that game.

Right before catching up to Liza, Mugen had taken care of a group following some guy named Momoi and was displeased with the results that he had received. He was looking for the street killer, or his next target, not a bunch of wimps.

Apparently, the street killer wasn't…normal. With the three victims that he had left behind, none of them were covered in any kind of sword markings. Blood was just seeping out of their eyes, ears, and nose, as if something internal had burst in their face and just came oozing out.

The two of them traveled around the town all day, Mugen happily complying to carry the bags that Liza had to pick up. He was gonna treat her as a normal person until she was the one that came back to him for more. Wearing a grin on his face, Mugen found himself picturing just what he would do to her and nearly lost himself as the sunset. He had to keep himself under control; he wouldn't let her win this.

As the duo reached the bridge that would lead them back to the house and the others, wounded men ran past them, leaving a trail behind as a single man continued on other the bridge. Mugen paused for a moment, giving a frown. Liza too watched after him, her interest peaked.

"Mugen, what do you say we stop for something to eat? My treat."

The vagabond glanced at her for a moment, almost forgetting that Reiko and Ryu had their own little collection of money, just refusing to share it with the rest of them. Liza liked to spoil Ryu a bit though, as Mugen unhappily found out, but considering what she had left behind on the table nearly a month ago, he didn't complain. He had originally been going to spend it but found himself hanging onto it, purse and all. He planned on giving it back to her; eventually.

The duo quietly followed the lone man and joined him at the same shop. Liza sat on Mugen's right, leaving him to sit by the other man as she happily began to order things. She curled her arm around his, pressing up against them as she boasted their 'romance' to the shop owner.

"Then I'd be careful if I were you," The Shop Owner told them, handing Mugen his sake as Liza accepted her dumplings happily. "Things have been pretty dangerous around here lately."

"That street killer?" Mugen asked, taking a sip.

"Yeah. Business has been lousy because a him."

"Oh dear," Liza faked fear and worry. "Perhaps coming out at night wasn't such a good idea after all."

"Oh, don't worry, babe," Mugen grinned, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "We'll be fine; don't you trust me? Besides, a real man won't attack a woman, you know? You'll be safe."

"Especially if you're here," She giggled. She then leaned forward a bit to glance at the other man in the shop. "Are you not worried about him?"

The man, long hair tied back and a goatee, gave her a glance, soon followed with a small smile. "I appreciate the concern, but I am fine. I-" the sake pot that the man had currently been holding, fell from his grasp, falling to the floor. Mugen reached out like lightning cut the said pot before it crashed to the ground. "Oh, my apologies. I guess I've had too much to drink. You may finish it, if you like."

"That's very kind of you," Liza smiled as Mugen wasted no time and downed the pot; he didn't even bother to use his cup. "

"So, do you know anything about the street killer?" Mugen asked, glancing at the man again.

He stayed silent for a moment, staring at his food before him. "Not really. I'm afraid I've been out of touch with public affairs."

"From everything I've heard, he only goes after tough guys. Why do you suppose he does that?"

"He just said he didn't know much," Liza frowned at Mugen. "Don't interrogate him."

"It's quite all right, miss," The man replied with a small smile at her. He then glanced back to his food. "I really haven't the faintest idea. However, it does remind me of a story I once heard. Long ago, on the continent, there was a man who is an expert mountaineer. This man had climbed an incredibly tall mountain, but no one had ever heard of or seen this mountain, so they couldn't comprehend the magnitude of this accomplishment. Reluctantly, the man continued to climb mountains that were said to be even taller. Day after day he climbed, all in order to make the people recognized his greatness. In the end, the man stopped trying to convince them, made a mountain his home, and became a demon."

Mugen raised a brow. The man stood up and began to leave, making Mugen follow after him as Liza left money for the shop owner and hurried after the duo. "And?"

"The story ends there." The man, Shoryu as he introduced himself, paused as they crossed the bridge yet again.

"So, what's the point?"

Shoryu sighed. "Forgive me, I suppose there was no point to the story, but now we go our separate ways."

Mugen nodded with a grin. "That street killer's out there, so be careful."

"Thanks, I will. You, too. And you as well, miss." Shoryu gave Liza a short bow before he turned off to leave.

Liza took a few steps back and watched as Mugen pulled his blade out, pointing it at Shoryu.

"You're him, right?"

Shoryu gave a smirk and tossed his bag in the air, revealing a strange blade that Liza had never seen before; it definitely wasn't a katana.

Mugen blinked. "What kind of fighting stance is that?"

Shoryu stayed silent, deeply inhaling, before striking like lightening. Liza felt an uneasiness in her stomach as Mugen barely dodged his attack; Shoryu complimented him on doing so. This man…he wasn't a samurai, he was something else entirely. But what?

Before the battle could continue, a whistle blew and scouts began running towards them, intent on catching the Street Killer.

Shoryu grabbed his cloth and wrapped his sword up again as he glanced back at Mugen. "On the night of the next full moon, we'll meet here again."

"Come with me, little bird."

Liza's voice dragged Muen from his trance. He had been watching Shoryu run off, oblivious to the woman that had moved up beside him and grabbed his arm. Both his hands shook as he realized that he had received gashes across the palms, his blood seeping out.

"What the hell?"

"That man…there's something weird about him. We should tell Reiko." She lightly tugged on his arm. "Let's get you cleaned up."

When they returned to the home they were lodging at, the duo found everyone gathered around the bathhouse as the old priest took it. Reiko and Ryu were respectful and stayed out of the said room and listened from outside, but Liza had no problem bursting in with a heartful greeting and taking a seat by the fire to warm her limbs while Mugen told them about their run in with Shoryu. It turns out that Zuikou wasn't just an ordinary priest and that Shoryu had once been a student of his.

"Back when I was a young man, I know you may not believe it to look at me now, but I was a warrior, in charge of my own dojo. And Shoryu whose name was Ukon, was a dedicated student at my dojo, and I was his teacher. He was a man of considerable skill. And he was totally devoted. Each day he put his heart and soul into studying the martial arts. Eventually, Ukon was sent on a sea voyage, on the orders of this domain's Lord. But the ship met with disaster. It was believed that the ship had gone down, and that there were no survivors. But Ukon escaped death and miraculously washed ashore on the continent. In that land, he encountered a mysterious martial art. Whoever could have guessed just how great an impact that would have on him. And then, a full 10 years after the shipwreck, he returned to this land. However, he had changed so completely, that he almost seemed different person."

The man had returned, trying to now teach the samurai what he had learned but he discovered that the samurai were all too weak now and that his teachings were too…harsh for them. Zuikou expelled him from the dojo and he left in a crazed daze. He tried other dojos but was rejected due to his teachings and instead began to kill the leaders.

"That's what brought me here, to save the soul of my disciple, which had become utterly corrupted with darkness." At those words, Mugen stood up and left the room, moving outside to stand with Reiko in silence. "I left the dojo and became the priest you see before you now. I mustn't allow Shoryu to commit any more sin. But I don't know if anyone can stop him."

Mugen, who was starring at the moon, gave a thumbs up and a grin. "Sounds good to me. I think I'm really gonna enjoy taking on someone like that."

"Don't be stupid," Reiko glanced at him. "From what Liza told us, you were shaking where you stood. He'll kill you without a second thought. You can't handle it."

Mugen turned to glare at the woman. "You wanna say that again?"

"I have to agree with Reiko on this one," Ryu joined in. "This guy…he's really dangerous."

"So what? You think the 'Terror Sisters' can take him, but I can't?"

"I didn't say that," The other man replied. "I don't think any of us should get involved."

"Are you a man or a woman, Matsu?"

"I can show you my dick, if you'd like, but only if your promise not to be jealous of the size."

Mugen looked shocked at the suggestion and Liza laughed, sticking her head out. "I can judge, if you want to show yours off too, you know!"

Jin gave a sigh as the banter outside continued, leaving just him and Fuu to silence.

As the days went on, waiting for the next full moon, Mugen began to train in strange ways, like chopping wood and doing push-ups by the waterfall and meditating and others strange things. Liza happily helped him do so, enjoying the laughter she got out of it. Ryu had explained to Fuu that Mugen was acting like this because this Shoryu was someone that he wasn't sure that he could defeat.

Reiko wasted no time in telling the pirate that he was going to die, happy to say that it would be one less oaf to deal with, but Mugen did his best not to let her annoy him and continued on with his training.

And then the big night came. Mugen had tried to slip out of the house without anyone noticing but Liza wasn't going to let that happen and had clung to his arm as she giggled, walking beside him and encouraging him.

"So, when I win," Mugen grinned. "Do I get a prize?"

He had told himself that he was going to play her game but with the blonde woman hanging onto him like this, it was kind of hard. He had faltered several times over the last few days but this just broke everything he had kept silent.

Liza giggled happily, careful of the naginata on her back; she had brought it just in case. "That all depends on how flashy you make it."

"Flashy, huh?" Mugen grinned. "Oh, I'll make it flashy for you, all right."

Shoryu was waiting for him, just like he said he would. The man gave Liza a bow again before he and Mugen began to fight. Liza wanted the watch the fight but at the same time her stomach was twisting in knots again, her mind telling her to look away. She had only had that happen to her once before and that was wen Reiko had fought the samurai that had come after them a few years ago; it had been how they met Ryu in the first place. Liza had been wounded and had Ryu not found them and helped Reiko, the blonde didn't want to think about what could have happened. To her, it was a scary thought.

The battle broke through the bridge and Liza moved closer to watch as it continued in the water. As both blades were knocked aside, Liza had to dig her feet in the ground to keep from moving. She had promised Mugen that she wouldn't interfere. That was a promise she planned on keeping…for now, anyway.

She watched as Mugen used a knife to kill Shoryu and gave a relieved sigh. "You had me worried there, little bird."

He glanced up at her after collapsing in the water. "Why the hell are you calling me that?"

"Little bird?" She grinned. "What, I can't give my new little pet a name?"

He glared at her. "Pet? When the hell did that happen?"

"The moment you didn't return my purse to me, that's when," She grinned. "Besides, one would think you would be happy. I, after all, treat my pets very, very well."

Mugen stood up, trying to ignore the pain in his body as he decided to try and dislodge his sword from the bridge. "Is that so? Then when is this 'pet' of yours going to get a reward?"

"When you impress me."

"Impress you?!" Mugen stopped and stared up at her in shock. "This wasn't impressive enough for you?!"

"Not at all."

Liza giggled to herself as she turned from the bridging, leaving Mugen cursing to himself. Sometimes she wondering if she pushed too hard; Reiko always told her that she did.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Six_**

 ** _Useless_**

 **The rain felt good on her skin.** It wasn't often that she got to go out in public without hiding her face and so when it rained that's what she liked to do. They had been on the run for so long and being caught because she wanted some alone time in a town was not something that she wanted. She had to get out on her own, though. She needed air to breath. Liza and Ryu she could handle but the other three…she had kept her mouth shut for as long as she could but the moment that Mugen brought in a giant beetle to 'train' for a sumo match, she had called it quits and left the building they were staying in.

Reiko was currently standing on a bridge, letting the rain hit her face. She hadn't even bothered to grab an umbrella or a hat to try and stay dry. It had been so long since she had just stood in the rain. It was like the water was trying to erase all the sins that she carried on her back, to try and relieve her of the guilt that she felt on her shoulders, but she knew that it was just wishful thinking.

She did find herself getting worried, though. Not for herself, but for Liza. Elizabeth had been spending a lot of time with that Vagabond, Mugen. She knew that the younger woman could take care of herself, but she was worried about just how far she could be pushed. Mugen made no attempt to hide that he wanted nothing more than to have sex with the English woman but his sudden talks and outbursts on the subject had suddenly come to a stop; right after he killed that Shoryu guy, actually. Had Liza said something to him about it?

Speaking of Shoryu, Reiko wanted to deny it but she couldn't; she was impressed. From what Zuikou had told them, Shoryu had been dangerous; very much so, leaving her shocked when Mugen killed him. All of them had been, apparently. Mugen wasn't just all talk, apparently. The warrior in her was impressed. That didn't happen often.

With a sigh, she finally turned her head from the sky. It was getting close to nightfall and she should head back to the house they were staying at, getting sick was not something that she wanted so a bath was welcoming, but her stomach growling made her stop. She should grab something to eat first. The night before, Ryu, Fuu, and Mugen had nearly demolished what they had for dinner between the three of them, leaving the others with nothing. She didn't feel like going through that again and, so she went off in search for something to eat before bed.

Not far away she found an eel stand; and a familiar face.

Jin was standing there, no doubt trying to earn money, with a young woman leaving the said shop, leaving her umbrella behind. She didn't want to deal with anyone from the group but had no choice as her hunger drew her to the shack.

"Are you all right?"

Jin was surprised to see Reiko sit down before him, and even more surprised to find her soaking wet.

"I came to eat, not talk," Her voice was rough, making her cough. Jin stared at her in silence for a moment before making a cup of tea and placing it in front of her. She stared at the steaming cup for a moment before glancing up. "Is there any honey?"

Jin raised a brow, stopping his hands as he tried to prepare one of the eels. "Honey?"

"It's…a remedy that Liza taught me. It helps with sore throats."

"Hmm."

Jin felt…awkward as he searched around the small shop for some honey. He gave a defeated sigh when he had no luck.

"It's to be expected." Came her gruff answer before she sipped the tea.

The man stared at her for a second before returning to the eel before him. As he worked, questions ran through his head. This was the most he had heard Reiko talk without being mean or snappy. She seemed…was normal the right word? Normally the woman was angry and mean but now she just seemed…depressed; in all honesty, she made him think of himself.

The silence between them was awkward but at the same time pleasant. Jin wasn't much of a talker himself, that was true, but he found himself wanting to ask questions. Ever since they arrived, and he was told that she and Liza were the ones responsible for the destruction of Castle Norika, he had wanted to ask questions about it but just never had. It never felt like the time was right…would it ever be right to ask about something like that?

What had happened to Norika had placed the two of them as people with the biggest bounties on their head; some of the most wanted outlaws in the land. He had never heard of women being wanted like this before, though. It made the situation…even stranger.

Glancing at Reiko as she ate in silence, Jin saw the umbrella beside her, and paused his lips. That woman from before…

"Don't bother," Reiko's voice brought Jin from his thoughts and back to her. She had closed her eyes, not bothering to look at the eel as she ate. He didn't burn it like he had before, but it wasn't far from it. He was surprised she was eating it without saying a word. "If she left it here, then just leave it. Don't get involved with anything."

He frowned at her, glancing away after a moment. "I was thinking of nothing."

"You lie; all you men do. The lust is clear on your face. It always is."

The anger, the pain in her voice, made his frown deepen. It was clear that had been hurt. Did it have anything to do with what he saw the night before?

There, back at Zuikou's home, he had seen something that he should not have. He had chanced by the bathing room just as Reiko had been undressing; apparently, she was not aware that she had left the door open a bit and so he got an eyeful of her back. She was a slim woman, curves that he would normally enjoy looking at and white skin that he would love to touch but there was something else there than made him freeze. He could still see them in his mind even now, plain as day. There had been burn marks all over her back, and not from just some kind of wild fire. There were stab marks and slashes as well.

This woman…she had been tortured.

"You don't trust men, do you?" Jin found the question leaving his mouth before he could stop himself.

She raised her eyes to look at him; he could see the anger in her cold, grey eyes. He also saw something else. A feeling that he couldn't describe.

"It's not just men," She finally replied. "It's everyone. The only one I can trust is Liza."

Jin stared at her. "Allow me a chance to change that."

He didn't know why he said that but there was just a feeling in his stomach that told him to do just that.

"It's a lost cause," She told him, finally standing. "So, don't bother; it'll just annoy me in the end worse than you already do."

"Wait," Jin moved forward as she began to leave. "It won't do much, but take my hat," He held it out to her. "I know you're already wet, but it can help at least a little."

Reiko glanced at him again before reaching into her kimono and dropping money on the counter before walking off into the rain again in silence. Jin gave a disheartened sigh. She was, undoubtedly, a hard egg to crack. That's what he was trying to do after all, right? He just didn't understand why that was. Then again, did he really need a reason? He was raised to respect women and to treat them right and help them when in discomfort. That's all this was, wasn't it?

They stayed in the same town while it rained continuously for nearly a week. Jin found himself drawn to the brothel that woman from the eel stand; he wanted to help her. Several times he and Reiko had exchanged words about it. She had saved him one night while he was being beaten by the guards at the said brothel. She had happily told him that he was an idiot, that what he was doing was useless, and that the other woman was just a waste of time. She felt that by letting her become a trade-off for her husband's debt was her own weakness. It turned into an anger match and since then Reiko had yet to say a word to him.

Reiko, instead, stayed in the building they were using today as Ryu was reading by candlelight nearby. Liza was sitting with her, her head in Reiko's lap, as she sang a little song under her breath. Mugen and Fuu had just recently returned from that Beetle Sumo Match again, Mugen proudly boasting that his Beetle, Rodriguez, had won.

 _"Tohi, tohi,_

 _Waraenai hanashi_

 _Itsuka, boku ga_

 _Inaku natta nara_

 _Fukai, fukai_

 _Mori ni ochita."_

Liza's voice was making the older woman slip off into slumber before Fuu and Mugen had returned, but that was shattered at their loud voices; especially when Jin returned to them and asked to take some of that money to buy a woman.

 _"Kimi wa hitori de_

 _Yukunda ze._

 _Tsunaida te niwa_

 _Yawarakana taion_

 _Nigitta yubi ga yururi_

 _Hodoketara._

 _Kareta neiro no_

 _Kane ga naru."_

She instantly turned her eyes to him.

"You cannot be serious." Jin glanced at her before closing his eyes. "It has nothing to do with you, and yet you continue to meddle. The woman made her choice, let her lie with it."

"I simply cannot. If you were her, would you not want help?"

"Unlike her, I don't need help." Reiko growled. "You're just wasting your time. She's useless; leave her there to rot."

"Ooh, you're riled up tonight," Liza giggled from her lap. "What's going on?"

"This idiot is trying to save a woman from a brothel."

"But why? Do you know her?"

"Not exactly."

"She's just using you, dude," Ryu commented, glancing over from his book. He saw that the other ronin had been beaten to hell. "That's what they do. The more sex they bring in, the better their lives are."

"She's not like that; I know it."

"Falling in love after three days? Kinda sad, dude," Liza teased.

"Men don't think with their heads, so what do you expect?" Reiko growled, crossing her arms.

"Hey now, a man has his needs," Mugen grinned. "I understand," He tossed the man the gold. "Go have fun pal."

Ryu gave a sigh and turned back to his book as Liza giggled and Reiko just sat there in distaste.

Fuu frowned as Jin walked back out. "You don't think he's actually going to go by a woman, do you?"

"Hey, I'm glad to hear it." Mugen replied, rolling over to glance at the beetle that he had tied the rock to again.

"What?"

"Well, ya know, I was getting suspicious. You ever seen him check out a girl?"

"So? Who cares?"

"It's a pretty big sign he's queer."

"Then we should match him and Matsu up!" Liza giggled.

The said man sighed from the corner. "I told you this a thousand times, Liza; I'm not gay."

"But the two of you would look so cute together!"

"What I don't get is why he thinks he needs another woman when he's got me around," She glanced at the other duo.

Everyone, save Reiko, looked at the younger woman. Mugen's eyes had widened. "What, you sayin' you wanna be his main squeeze?"

"That's not what I said!"

"You've got the figure of a wood plank," Mugen decided to continue.

"I do not! Clothing just makes me look slender."

"Yeah right."

"It's the truth!"

"Show me what you got then."

"And that's where we stop," Ryu closed his book and sat up. "This conversation ends here now, please."

"How about you then?" Mugen looked at Liza with a grin. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind slipping off and-"

"We're going to bed," Reiko's words made Mugen smirk. He knew that the older woman was going to cut the conversation short; it was amusing to him now that he was getting used to her personality. To say she didn't intrigue him was a lie, but he'd rather have the blonde that laid in her lap.

It was the next night and Jin had left again. He and Shino were trying to escape the brothel together and had, unfortunately, caused quite the commotion. He tired fighting them all off without his swords but gave a silent sigh of relief when Mugen and Fuu arrived to help and give him his said swords.

Jin grabbed Shino and dragged her to the dock while Mugen took care of most of the enemy. After exchanging words with the man that used to be her husband, Jin pushed her from the dock, freeing her as more guards showed up. He watched after her for a moment before turning to face the men only to find them falling to the ground already, Reiko waving their blood from her blade before sheathing it again. She wore a glare on her face as she stared at the younger man.

"Are you done playing around now?"

"Is this what you call what happened?" He found anger rising in his chest.

"Wouldn't you? I told you not to get involved. Romance of any type is useless, as are people like her."

"Don't say that."

"I only speak the truth."

"Take it back!"

Jin had taken a step towards her but froze as she grabbed the handle of her sword again. There was a fire in her eyes that he hadn't seen before. This woman…if he were to take another step towards her then she would kill him.

"I have no contract with any of you, so I have no problem fighting you." She stared him down before Jin gave a sigh and turned away. She let go of her sword. "Getting involved and twisted with something like this is pathetic," She told him. "If you want to sleep with whores, be my guest, but don't get involved like this again."

She turned to leave but Jin glanced after her again, deciding to open his mouth. "What happened to you to make you lose your trust in everything?"

He watched as her steps paused. She was silent for a moment, as if she was struggling with an inner battle, before starting to walk off again.

"The past is useless too, so it's better to stay where it lies."

Jin gave a sigh before closing his eyes. That woman…she was a piece of work. It still made him want to learn the reasons behind Noriko Castle; and the scars that burdened not just her body, but her heart as well.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Seven_**

 ** _Terror's Weakness_**

 **"You're not seasick, are you?"**

Liza turned at the voice, giving its owner a smile. "Aww, are you worried about me, Ryu?"

The man gave a sigh and leaned against the railing beside the tall woman. "Considering that we're all on the run from the law, Mugen nearly died two days ago due to dicks from his past, and Reiko has currently locked her death glare upon anyone who approaches you, should I not be worried?"

"Point proven," Liza turned back to her right and continued gazing across the horizon. "What can I help you with? There's a reason you came to me. What, finally ready to admit that you have a thing for Spectacles over there?"

Ryu frowned at her. "Would you stop that? I'm not attracted to men, dammit!"

Liza's reply was just a small smile, leaving the man's suspicions to grow even more. There was something wrong with her; both her and Reiko.

It had all started almost a month ago. They ran into a duo that Mugen had known growing up. Pirates; and they wanted Mugen's help. Liza had, surprisingly, tried to convince the young man not to get involved and to just ignore them but Mugen's stubbornness won in the end, resulting in his getting very badly hurt. Liza had disliked that, a lot more than they had thought, and had left the group for a day while Mugen rested under Ryu's watch.

Mugen was awake when she had returned and, well, knew what she had done.

 _"You killed her, didn't you?" His voice was cold and demanding._

 _Liza didn't even glance at him, her eyes closed as she took a seat by the window in the rundown house they had taken shelter in for the alst few days. "So what if I did?"_

 _His fists clenched tightly. "You shouldn't have done that!"_

 _"And why is that?" She kept her gaze outside the window. Ryu and Fuu were just outside with Reiko, all listening in; then again, she expected that. "As I recall, she's the reason you're in the condition that you're in."_

 _"She wasn't yours to kill, dammit! She didn't-"_

 _"Didn't what? Deserve to die? Such trivial banter. That girl played you, her brother, and that official like a damn fiddle and you all fell for it. Anyone that's in my way is mine to kill and she got in my way. If you can't accept that, then I would part ways here and now if I were you."_

That was basically the last words that Liza and Mugen had exchanged for nearly a month. The blonde was still her flirtatious self, this was true, but she barely gave Mugen a glance anymore and he didn't say a word to her. Not long after that the group had a little quarrel and ended up separating for a bit in a huge forest and Liza and Reiko had disappeared like smoke to stay hidden from the officials that were combing the area for a mysterious archer. The duo reappeared as soon as they were out of the clutches of the officials and their journey had taken them to a boat as they continued on their trip to Nagasaki. Reiko had been watching over Liza like a hawk since they set foot on the said ship and it was a bit concerning. This was the first time in three days that he had found Liza awake and alone on the deck of the ship. Reiko must have still been asleep. It was just breaking dawn, though, so that was normal.

Ryu had approached Liza because the woman had held a rather…distraught look on her face. It made his stomach twist in knots.

"What's bothering you, Elizabeth?"

"What makes you think anything is bothering me?" She replied, staring out over the sunrise as the light hit the blue waters. She felt that the ocean was so calm and carefree; it made her sick.

"Because I know you."

"You've only known me fore five years, remind you."

"Okay, so I know more than most. I know that there's something wrong with you; Reiko, too. You can't hide it. Is it because of Mugen?"

She gave a snort. "Please." Giving a sigh, she leaned down to place her chin on the hands that sat on the railing before her. "Its just…close to the anniversary."

Ryu closed his eyes, trying hard not to wince. The Anniversary of the destruction of Noriko Castle. Had it already been six years? Any time he thought of it, he felt sad for the two women he knew. They would always be outlaws, wanted for execution. They were the only women that eh had ever heard of being on the Shoguns Wanted list. Then again. They had slaughtered hundreds in that Castle, either by their own hands and by setting it on fire. He was surprised that they had gotten onto this ship to Nagasaki as easily as they had.

It wasn't often that things turned in their favor; he had to accept it while he could.

"There's nothing I can do about that, but maybe when we return to land I'll take the two of you out. Just the three of us, just like the old times."

Liza gave him a wide grin, turning to face him again. "Reiko would like that. She's been especially moody as of late, I'm afraid."

"Who's been moody?"

The cold voice made Ryu stand up straight and Liza turned to face their friend, leaning her arms and back against the railing.

"Why, only you are worthy enough to be the subject of our praise, Rei."

The said woman, looking like she had just awoken, gave the other woman a blank stare as she pulled her hair over her left shoulder, getting ready to pull it up into its usual bun.

"I still can't believe you dragged us on a ship," The woman frowned, moving up to Liza's other side. "I'm surprised you even suggested it."

"Well, it was the fastest route to Nagasaki," Ryu told her. "If we went on land, we'd take four times as long to get there. I'd rather be there in a week, not five months."

"It wouldn't have taken us five months, you know," Liza replied.

"With how easily sidetracked these others gets, it might have taken longer."

Liza paused for a minute before giving a frown. "Touché."

Reiko shook her head as the usual banter was tossed between the other two and she stood there, half listening, and half lost in thought. She didn't like being stuck on this ship. She wanted this ride to be over with and back on solid ground again as soon as possible. She also wanted to just ditch the other trio but now that seemed to be impossible. It was like fate kept bringing them all back together so she had just decided to accept it, despite the taste it left in her mouth.

"The first thing I want when we reach land again is a nice, hot bath," Liza was now saying, stretching her arms out above her head. "And some sake and dumplings or any type of food, really. Something really, really sweet! Ooh, maybe we can find a cutie somewhere that'll-"

"Is that really all you think about?" Ryu sighed, clapping hands over his ears. "Good Lord, and they say men only think about it constantly!"

"Well, I can't help it? Maybe you're just still a virgin. Oh my god, you are, aren't you?"

"Liza, I am not having this conversation with you."

"You are! Oh, that's so cute! We should fix that! Ooh, I know! We-"

All words came to a stop as Reiko dove to the right, Ryu to the left, and Liza ducked to the floor just in time. A sword came up from behind them and got lodged in the wood. A group of men, other passengers on the ship that had stayed to themselves since the voyage started, all held swords now, one of them wearing a jacket, ranking him as a high official of the Shogunate.

Liza wasted no time in sweeping the legs from their attacker out from beneath them and grasping the sword from the wood as Reiko and Ryu both took done another pair of their attackers before regrouping, taking swords of their own, to the tall blonde that was happily smiling at the six remaining men.

"What have we here?" Liza was saying. "Is that really any way to try and capture a lady's heart now, men?"

"Just as playful as I was told," The leader commented before clearing his throat. "You must do something about your appearance, Elizabeth Rush," Liza frowned at the man using her full name. Ryu could get away with it every now and again, but she was only comfortable with Reiko calling her that. "If not for that blonde hair of yours, we never would have known that we were sailing with the infamous Terror Sisters."

"That name again?" Liza hung her head. "Seriously, can't you think of anything better to call us?"

"That's not the issue at hand here right now, Liza," Ryu hissed from her right. The crew of the ship had all given them a wide birth, stopping to stare at the events happening on deck. His worries were with the other trio of their part downstairs, though. Fuu would freak out, yes, and he had no doubt that when the commotion really started that Mugen and Jin would get dragged into this…well, at least Mugen would.

"I don't know how you've run for this long, but I'm now here to put a stop to your evil ways."

"Evil ways?" Liza glanced at Ryu. "Are we evil?"

"Your reputation speaks for itself, you know," The man replied as the official continued to make this great speech. "This guy really likes to hear himself talk, doesn't her?"

"Don't they all?"

As the last word escaped Liza's mouth, Reiko shot forward with the blade in her hand, slicing down one of the men. Blood splattered everywhere but the leader parried Reiko's next blow, starting the fight across the deck of the ship.

Liza had to admit that these guys were a lot harder to kill than the previous ones that had come after them. They had come prepared with pieces of armor on underneath their clothes, making it easy for them to block her blows when timed just right. She was impressed; but it also annoyed her.

They had clearly been ready to fight till the death this time, but confident that they were going to win. Ryu knew that it would be better to just cut all ties with the two women like he should have five years ago but his honor as a man, and desire to protect women, kept him from doing so. He normally didn't like getting involved with fighting the officials, Reiko and Liza happily taking care of them quickly, but today was different. There were too many for the duo to take on their own in such close quarters. There weren't trees or anything they could use for cover or anything else.

There was a cry of pain, dragging both Ryu and Liza's eyes over to Reiko. The leader that she had been fighting had struck true. The older woman's back was against the railing of the ship, a sword piercing through her left shoulder as he blade had been tossed aside. The glare she wore as she stared up at the man above her would have turned any normal person to stone.

Liza shouldered the bastard she was fighting out of the way with a roar and went to charge right at the leader of the enemy, but movement brought her to a stop. Jin had appeared, Mugen right behind him. The bespectacled samurai had forced the leader away from Reiko and began to duel him himself. Mugen, wielding Liza' Naginata, slammed the point into the deck of the ship and swung around the handle, kicking the other men in the face as he went before releasing it and landing on his feet with a grin, grasping his own weapon now.

"Hey!" Liza's eyes grew wide. "That was my attack! Stop stealing my moves, dammit!"

Mugen gave a grin. "I just wanted to try it out. Don't get hostile now."

The woman couldn't help herself and chuckled; it was nice to hear him talking to her again. With a crack of her neck, Liza grasped her Naginata and pulled the weapon free, placing herself in between the enemy that remained and Reiko.

"If you want her," Liza growled, her Naginata held at the ready. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Reiko!" At her name, the woman turned to watch as Fuu slid to a stop before her, a towel in her hand to try and get the bleeding to stop. "Just leave this to them! It'll all be over soon."

"You and the other two should not get involved," Was the older woman's reply, her eyes trained on Liza as the young blonde fought. If anything were to happen to her-

"But, we're friends, aren't we?" Fuu's question made Reiko return her gaze to her and she gulped under those cold grey eyes. "At least, that's how I see it. We have to look out for each other the longer we travel together, don't you agree?"

Reiko didn't reply, unsure how to, and turned back to watch the rest of the fight.

"You're seriously pissed." Mugen commented to the woman beside him as the last official fell.

"Of course," Liza answered as she dislodged her Naginata out of the skull of the poor bastard beneath her. "I owe Reiko my life. If not for her, then I would have died a long time ago. I refuse to let these bastards take her from me."

Mugen watched as Ryu and Jin exchanged words before Ryu moved to talk to the captain of the ship. From what Mugen could see, the Captain was afraid, not hard to believe after watching the bloodshed that just happened, and he gave a sigh and rolled his shoulders. "Dammit, now I'm hungry; starving!"

"Same here. I can't wait to get off this damn ship."

"We should be careful to keep your identities hidden," Jin commented as Reiko stood up again. Liza gave a frown. "We knew that getting on a ship could be perilous; we shouldn't make it again."

"Yes, sadly we're more wanted that you guys…it's always me that gets spotted first," Liza sighed. "Damn my good looks."

Mugen gave a laugh. "I have nothing against them." He teased.

"Say that too loud and Reiko'll have your hide," Liza grinned.

Mugen leaned forward, matching her grin. "I welcome it."

"If you don't knock it off, I'll be the one you have to be worried about," Ryu grunted, moving back to the group. "I've got the Captain to continue on to the next port; we'll have to get off there. It's not Nagasaki, but it's closer than what it would have been if we hadn't gotten on the boat in the first place. He said he'll keep you two secret, but I doubt it. The moment we make port, we get the hell out of the town and into the forest again."

"I agree," Reiko nodded, favoring her left shoulder where Fuu had done her best to patch it up. "How far is the next port?"

"Two days."

"We'll have to have someone on guard at night while the others sleep," Reiko sighed, hanging her head for a moment. "Two, just in case."

"Agreed," Jin nodded.

"Liza and I can take first shift tonight," Mugen grinned. "Right, Li-"

There was a grunt that cut Mugen's words off, followed by a loud crack, which was then followed by a splash over the side of the ship. Reiko felt hot air blow past her face and her eyes widened. The cracking sound had been a gun being fired. If it had been any more to the right then she would have been shot in the face.

Everyone whipped around, only Fuu able to see what had happened.

"It was one of the officers," The young woman cried. "He was trying to shoot Reiko and Liza tackled him. They both fell overboard!"

That explained all the noises. The others seemed to calm down for a moment.

"It's a good thing that it's not a repeat of Mugen's event, am I right?" Ryu chuckled.

Everyone but Reiko nodded in agreement. Instead the oldest of them all began to panic and rushed for the edge; she would have dove in had Jin not grabbed her.

"Elizabeth!" Reiko struggled against the samurai. Jin was careful of her left shoulder but still held her tightly. "No! Let me go! I have to save her!"

"She wasn't shot!" Fuu tried to calm her down. "Liza's strong; she'll fight the currents!"

"No, you don't understand!" Reiko tried to pull away from Jin, but he was too strong. The woman turned to look at him and for the first time he saw an emotion other than anger and distrust.

It was fear.

"Elizabeth can't swim!"

"She can't swim?" Fuu raised a brow. "But Japan is surrounded by water."

"Let me go!" Reiko broke free from Jin's grasp but another form had beaten her over the railing.

"Mugen!" Jin's voice called out as Ryu's form followed the other man into the water.

"I'll get the rope!" Fuu ran off, leaving Reiko gripping the railing, her eyes searching the water. It was quite calm but none of their bodies could be seen. The seconds seemed to drag on and on, her panic rising until Jin's voice gave out a cry of 'here', and both her and Fuu hurried over. Mugen and Ryu had grabbed Liza, the blonde's hair loose and hanging in her face as the two men tried to keep her afloat. Ryu was the one to grab the rope that Fuu tossed over and he tied it around Liza's waist. With the woman not at risk of drowning now, Mugen climbed up the side of the ship like a damn monkey to help Jin hoist her up. Reiko tried to pull on the rope but her left shoulder throbbed in pain. Fuu softly shoved her aside before grabbing the rope to help Jin and Mugen.

Liza sputtered and began to cough up water, taking deep breaths as Fuu rubbed circles on her back, trying her best to pull all her blonde hair from her face as Jin helped Ryu back onto the ship.

"Liza, you weren't shot, were you?" Fuu asked her.

"Nope! Fit as a fiddle," She joked before pulling a face as more water poured out of her mouth. "The ocean tastes like shit." She rolled over to stare up at the sky for a moment before sitting up against the railing behind her and taking in the view of the two wet men before her. Mugen and Ryu mirrored each other, both of them looking worried over her.

"So, I got two saviors this time, hmm?" Liza smiled. "I guess I owe you-"

Her words were barely out of her mouth before Reiko had slammed into her, holding the bigger woman in her arms tightly. Liza smiled affectionately at the smaller woman before wrapping an arm around her body; Reiko quivered.

"I'm not going anywhere, Reiko," Liza told her. "So, don't cry, okay?" All that did was make Reiko tremble more and she gave a laugh. "I vote we never get on a ship again, agreed?"

"Or someone takes some swimming lessons," Ryu grunted, taking off his shirt to ring it out; he glanced at the blood all over the deck. He had offered to help clean it but the crew had refused it; they were all probably scared of them now. "And next time, let someone who knows how to swim take the dive into the water, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Liza gave a sigh as Reiko pulled back from her. "I'm the one that almost died and yet you're more freaked out. I thought you were the older one, Rei." She winced as the other woman punched her in the shoulder. "God, take a joke!"

Wiping her face, careful of her left shoulder, Reiko turned to face Ryu and Mugen. She stared at the two of them in silence for a moment before bowing lowly to them. "Th-thank you. I...if I had lost her..."

"No worries," Ryu placed a hand on the small woman's head, ruffling her hair. "Just don't keep secrets like that anymore." He gave her a stern look. "If you had jumped in after her, you would have sunk with her. You're strong, Reiko, but she's a lot bigger and heavier than you. You both would have died."

Mugen was shocked. Never before had he seen anything other than anger on Reiko. To see the smile she was giving Ryu right now…she was actually really pretty. Was this really the same woman?

"Ah, damn!" Liza's voice made the vagabond turn to find her standing again, glancing down at her clothes. "I'm gonna have to sit in my room under blankets until my clothes are dried again. I really don't want to get sick right now; ever, really."

"You know, a second body will be able to keep you warm," Mugen gave her a sly grin. "I selflessly offer mine up as tribute."

Liza returned the look. "You know, I'd be willing to take you up on that, but I'm afraid that Reiko's going to be attached to me even more than ever now. She won't let me leave the room without her beside me, I'm sure. I'd offer to let you join us, but I've no doubt she's cut your dick off."

"Probably, so let's save that night for after we get off this ship, eh?"

She nodded. "I'd like that."

Mugen went to walk away but he gave a sigh and turned back to her. "Liza, I…I just…" He rubbed the back of his head, unsure and embarrassed of what he was trying to say. "I'm sorry for being such a douchebag the last few weeks." He finally told her. "And I'm…glad that you're safe."

Liza stared at him in awe for a moment before a huge grin spread across her face. Mugen glanced at it and found that her's was strange, too. It was different than the other smiles that he had seen her give others, himself included. This one didn't have a playful look or feel to it. It was…genuine.

"Thank you for saving me, Mugen, and thank you for apologizing."

 ** _~Sing Me To Sleep Now_**

 ** _Sing Me To Sleep_**

 ** _Oh, Sing Me To Sleep now_**

 ** _Sing Me To Sleep~_**

 **The Night was quiet up on deck that evening, save for the soft chuckles coming from the stairs that led up to the wheel of the ship.** Jin had found himself unable to sleep that night. Ryu and Mugen were on guard duty incase any of the crew tried to do anything but he decided to get up and take a walk. He wanted to keep things silent. That had been the plan anyway, but the soft chuckles caught his ear, making him venture closer to see who it was.

He wasn't expecting who he found.

"Are you sure its safe for you to be out here right now?"

Reiko didn't even glance at the man as he stood over her as she took another drink from the bottle in her hand. "Why does it matter? Now that they know I'm one of the infamous _Terror_ _Sisters_ , the pussies are too scared to come near me, let alone stand up to me." She took another drink. "What about you? You're an accomplice now, you know."

"I can take care of myself," He answered her. HE took a deep breath before taking a seat beside her. He was expecting her to move away but she just continued to sit there.

"You're not wearing your glasses," Reiko sniffed, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. "If they don't do anything, why keep them?"

"They're a Memento," He answered her. "Of my master."

"Hmm…" She closed her eyes. "Mementos only make us cling to the past. Sometimes…it's easier just to forget it all."

At her words, Jin saw all those scars on her back in his mind. It wasn't hard to understand why that woman would want to forget everything. He couldn't get those marks out of his head, no matter how hard he tried to.

"How's Liza?" He finally asked.

"Sleeping. Fuu's watching over her…" There was a tremble in her shoulders again; he was close enough to feel them. "I…I almost lost her. I don't…I don't know if I'd be able to go on living without her."

Jin stared at her in silence before glancing away again. "She's the only one that understands your pain, am I right? She…suffered what you had to, didn't she?" Her silence was the only answer that he needed. "I don't know what it is you've gone through, or why you decided to burn down Norika Castle, but you don't have to think you're alone anymore. We're all outlaws now, after all."

Jin didn't understand why he felt the need to comfort this woman this far but he felt that it was the right thing to do. He had seen a different side of her today and he found himself wanting to see just how far he had to push to bring it back out; to make it stay.

"Are there any other weaknesses that you or Liza have other than not being able to swim that we should know about?"

Reiko stared at him. "It's…a secret; not even Liza knows about it," She mumbled, glancing away again. "You have to keep it secret."

Jin nodded, excitement building in his stomach. "What is it?"

She looked back at him, face as serious as possible. "I can't see in the dark."

"Are you-" He then noticed the look on her face. "Was that…a joke?"

She took another drink. "Why would I do that?"

He frowned. There was something strange going on here. "Are you drunk?"

"Don't be stupid," She scoffed. "Drunk and drinking are two different things entirely and I will know when I'm drunken, thank you."

Jin reached out and took the bottle from her hands; she didn't struggle and just stared at the steps beneath her. Sniffing the opening, Jin frowned a bit as Sake hit him. How long had she been sitting out here drinking? She must have gone into the pantry and taken it from one of the crew.

With a silent sigh, Jin took a drink himself before handing it back to her. She gave a snort and took another drink before returning it to him again. Jin, normally, would have stopped her from drinking like this, but after today…he didn't see a problem with it.

"I'm afraid," Her voice began again after another drink. "I almost lost her today and there would have been nothing that I could have done to save her. I would have sunk with her…no, that's a lie." Her voice trembled. "I would have let her go and saved myself. Liza would have sunk to the bottom until she died while I saved myself like a coward. Why…why can't I just keep her safe? She's mine! It's my duty! It's my job to keep her safe!"

Jin was silent for a moment, thinking over her words. Something more than just Norika Castle tied these two women together. Something more emotional, painful.

"Norika fell over ten years ago, did it not? Have you not kept her safe for that long? If I guess correctly, she was but a child. Seven or so? You saved her from that burning castle. You saved her from something. I doubt you really just went on a rampage and killed over a hundred people. You've been protecting her since then. You've done a good job so far, but you can't always protect her. If you hold onto her too tightly, you could ruin everything between the two of you."

Reiko gave a snort. "You say that because you don't understand. The bond the two of us share can never be broken. Liza will always, always be my _salut._ "

He cocked a brow. Salut? That was obviously a foreign word, but he didn't know from where. Was it foreign for child? Was Reiko Liza's mother?

No, that was foolish. Reiko was too young to be her mother, Liza didn't have any of her features, either.

"Reiko, just what happened at-"

His words came to a halt as pressure was applied to his right arm. Turning his head, he was surprised to find that Reiko had leaned up against him, using his arm as a pillow. She had fallen asleep on him. He felt his face heat up. He had slept with women before, yes, but this was Reiko we were talking about. He couldn't lie, he was attracted to her, he admitted that when they split up in the woods and he found himself only able to worry about her safety. He was happy when they were reunited but she had been just as cold as ever; until today. He had seen another side of this woman and his wish had come true. Now he just needed to find a way to keep it.

The silence was broken by a small noise from Reiko's mouth; a little hiccup. His face got redder; it was cute. It got worse as she buried her face further into his shoulder. He moved slowly and pulled her closer against him, careful of her left shoulder.

Jin gave a smile to himself as the warmth spread through the rest of his body.

One of the Terror Sisters couldn't swim. The other couldn't hold her liquor. Who'd have thought it?

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Eight_**

 ** _Liza's Wish_**

 **Mugen didn't fully understand what was going on, but he did know that he was angry.**

Extremely so.

It had been two weeks since they had gotten off that ship, since Liza had her close encounter with death, and since then she had been…closed off from everyone; Reiko included. Mugen thought that she just needed to calm down, but it had been taking too long and the closer they got to this town the worse she got. She completely shut everyone out and only glared at them. It was a completely different side to the funny, flirty woman they had been traveling with before.

He wasn't angry because Liza was acting this way, Mugen had finally come to understand, he was angry at whatever it was that was making her act like this. He wanted to find the culprit and just beat the hell out of it. He would do anything that would make her feel better, and he had been trying, but nothing seemed to get through to her.

That's most likely the reason why the way she was acting tonight was getting to him so bad.

They had arrived in Bunko and Liza had disappeared almost immediately the moment they arrived. Mugen and Fuu had both demanded answers about the woman's strange behavior lately but neither Ryu not Reiko knew; or rather Ryu didn't know, and Reiko refused to open her mouth about it.

That was really nothing new.

Reiko had gotten a little softer on Mugen lately though, definitely because he had helped save Liza's life, but she still made her dislike of him apparent.

The group had decided to let Liza do her own thing, thinking that she would just return to them when night fell like normal, but a young man had come searching for them in the streets, bearing an invitation to the home of one Tomura Yukimura for the night. Fuu and Mugen had been extremely pleased about a roof and food tonight but Reiko, Jin, and Ryu were suspicious.

Their suspicions grew stronger when they found Liza at the man's house, her flirty and happy nature back. The suspicions grew just like Mugen's anger did.

Tomura turned out to be a young man, gorgeous, with black hair like silk and sharp green eyes. The man was a noble, a skilled painter, and was apparently taken with Liza's appearance. He was exchanging room and board for a chance to paint her, claiming that the beauty of foreigners was much different than those of the women found here in Japan. It reminded the group of the painter that had wanted to paint Fuu months ago, but this Tomura was very different than that other man. He was as much of a flirter as Liza was, and as they sat there at the table for dinner that night, it was proudly proven.

It was the second night that they were staying at that house and as they sat around the table for dinner, it was taking every ounce of restraint from Mugen not to make comments. Ryu was being his rock here, squeezing his shoulder every time his anger almost got the better of him.

The dinner started out pleasant, Ryu and Fuu happily conversing with Tomura, but as it carried on, Liza began to flirt; heavily. Tomura was an attractive man, that wasn't a lie, but to see Liza flirt with him like this, give those giggles Mugen like to hear and the way she touched him, the vagabond hated the painter more and more as time went on.

Mugen didn't understand what was going on with him. Liza was on his mind every second of every day. Her flirting with one man shouldn't be making him angry and yet he found himself furious at the very thought of someone else touching her, let alone seeing it happen right in front of his eyes.

Several times throughout that day Mugen found himself heading towards the room that Tomura was painting Liza. He could hear their voices as they laughed and talked, and he wanted to just barge in there and separate them, but his body would stop just outside the room. He didn't know why but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He…he didn't know what to do anymore.

"I say the two of us hurry out of here," Liza was softly saying, curled up against the young man beside her. "You can finish that painting of yours…and maybe even more."

"I'll happily take you up on that offer," The man replied, running a finger across her neck. Mugen glared at the other man. "We can go ahead and excuse ourselves and-"

Mugen had been about to slam his chopsticks down and make a remark but Reiko had beat him to it, standing from her seat.

"We're leaving, Elizabeth."

The blonde, not even missing a step, gave the man a smirk before sliding away from him. "Sorry, sweetie, but mommy calls."

As Mugen watched the woman separate herself from the painter, he couldn't lie; he felt relief hit him like a brick.

"Aww, don't be like that," Tomura replied with that smile still on his face. "I promise I won't hurt her; you can even join us if you'd like."

"I thank you for your hospitality, but I must refuse your offer," Reiko glared at him as Liza moved to stand behind her. "I don't like the thought of another touching something that is mine."

The man raised a brow. "Surely you jest. Two women such as yourselves can't possibly-"

His words were cut off as Reiko turned, placing her hand around Liza's neck and pulling the other woman's face down to lock lips with her. Liza wasted no time, sliding a hand down the other woman's back. Everyone around the table let their mouths drop open as Reiko's cold, grey eyes peered at their host hatefully over Liza' shoulder.

After Reiko stepped back, Liza gave a huge grin as she lifted the smaller woman up in her arms bridal style. She gave the group a wink with her blue eyes full of laughter. "Looks like I'm the only lucky one tonight, boys." She left the room with Reiko in her arms, snickering as the door shut behind them.

"Holy shit..." Mugen had to swallow the drool in his mouth.

"Holy shit seconded," Ryu gulped himself.

"Third," their host echoed. Fuu gave a sigh and slammed her head down on the table as Jin frowned.

Jin had also noticed the change in the two women that they were traveling but, unlike Mugen, he had a good idea as to what was bothering them. They were getting closer to Nagasaki, and by that closer to where Norika Castle used to stand. Outside of Liza almost dying, the closer they got to what the two of them were trying to run from, the worse things would get. He didn't know anything that happened at that castle, but he knew that it was why the women acted the way they did.

He had almost gotten the answers that he wanted out of Reiko on the ship but he didn't have the heart to wake her up after she had fallen asleep on him. Instead he carried her to the room that he was sharing with Ryu and let her sleep in the bed that he had been using. He would have taken her to Liza's room, but the other woman was still…drying her clothes from her tumble into the ocean earlier and he felt that it was inappropriate to enter that room either way. It was a good thing that Ryu and Mugen were on guard duty and not in the room. He had to sleep in front of the door. When he awoken, however, Reiko was already gone. He didn't know how she had done it without waking him up but that next morning he had sworn he had seen a smile on her face when she had turned from his greeting her.

After Liza and Reiko had left the dinner, things just disported on his own. He knew that Mugen went off on his own and Ryu and Fuu joined Tomura for tea or something like that. Jin had been trying to return to the room that he and Mugen had been sharing and gotten lost. He had paused near the garden, trying to retrieve the route from his mind when sobbing reached his ears.

He went still, barely daring to breathe.

"It's okay, Elizabeth," Jin could hear Reiko's soft voice over the sounds of the other woman sobbing. "Everything is alright now. I'm here. You can go to sleep."

The man felt his breath stop. Elizabeth was crying. What had happened? She was fine not long ago…or was that just an act?

"I...I can't. Every night...his face..."

"I know," Reiko told her softly. "And just like every night I am here to chase him away. Trust me, and sleep."

Jin's blood ran cold. This was what he was looking for. Whoever Elizabeth was seeing in her nightmares had something to do with how Elizabeth had been acting; with Norika Castle.

For some reason, he felt very guilty about listening in on all of this. Part of him wanted to just walk away but the other part made him stand there.

He didn't realize how long he had been standing there, lost in his own thoughts. He must have been so deep in his thoughts not to realize when Reiko had exited te room before him. He did notice the look she gave him before turning to walk off.

He stepped forward the moment she tried to leave him there.

"Is she asleep?"

Reiko glanced at the samurai that stood off to the side. She really wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Why do you linger here? Just leave the two of us in peace."

Jin just stared at her blankly. He should have known by now that she wasn't going to give him what he wanted. He was going to have to work for it even harder than before now.

"Why did you do that?"

She closed her eyes. "Do what?"

"Put on that display," He answered her. "I admit that Liza is...quite flirtatious with everyone but I know for a fact that you...the two of you have not...embraced each other."

Not even a fire could save him from the chill that he now felt in the air around them. Was he making a mistake here?

No, he couldn't double-think himself now. He had to do this if he wanted his answers.

"How do you know we haven't?" She replied harshly. "You know nothing about us."

"I know that you haven't because of what occurred at Norika Castle," At his words he saw the anger in that woman's eyes; but she stayed silent. "Whatever happened in that castle has scarred not only you but that young woman sleeping inside. She may talk big, but the very thought of sex scares her. It scares both of you."

Reiko stared at the man for a moment. Jin saw that her eyes were still that cold grey, yes, but there was something else there right now; a flicker that he had never seen before. It was gone soon after he saw it though, just as her anger returned.

"I don't know what you think you know, four-eyes, but it would be in your best interest to stop making assumptions on what Elizabeth and I do. If you don't then you will undoubtedly find yourself with more than just the Vagabond trying to kill you this time." She turned to re-enter the room that she and Liza were sharing. "No one will be able to save you then."

"It's not me who needs the saving," Jin's words made her pause. "But you; both of you. Asking for help, no matter what kind, is not a sign of weakness."

"But isn't it?" Reiko's voice was soft. "If I cannot protect what I hold dear, am I not weak. If I can't even save Elizabeth from drowning, then what good am I? How can I expect to save her from anything else!?"

Jin felt his heart beat faster. This was the most that she had opened to him. He was getting closer and closer to what he wanted; closer to her. This broken woman before him was barely hanging onto her sanity anymore. He…he had to save her.

"You can't do everything on your own, Reiko," It was one of the few times that her name had ever left his lips and it made her turn to look at him. If it had not been a full moon that night, then he wouldn't have seen the uncertainty, the fear, in her eyes; the tears that were beginning to form. "Everyone wants to protect everything important to them, but sometimes they kill themselves in the process. You and I both know that Liza wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. If you can't trust me, then trust her."

Reiko frowned, staring off to the side. "You make it sound so easy. You don't understand anything about what we've been through."

"I know I don't," He answered her truthfully. "And I know that trying to force you to tell me isn't going to work. I can wait no matter how long it takes until you finally do."

Why was he making this promise to her? He had nothing to do with this woman outside of them being stuck together until the find the samurai that smells of sunflowers. Maybe…maybe it was because he, if even a little, he could relate to her. He was, after all, a man on the run as well.

Reiko went to reply when movement to her left caught her eye. She was Liza disappear around the corner and frowned. She had thought the other woman was asleep, apparently that was not the case. Her stomach began to unsettle itself. If Liza was trying to sneak out past her then it only mean one thing.

"Jin, gather the others and take them away as fast as you can," Reiko told the man before her. "It's not safe for us to stay here anymore."

Jin wanted to open his mouth again, ask for answers, but he thought against it. He had seen Liza sneak past them as well. He had to trust that Reiko knew what she was doing. He had to trust her before she could trust him.

"Don't be long."

Reiko was still for a moment before giving him a short nod. Taking it, the man turned and went to gather the other three members of their group and leave behind everything about his place.

Reiko gave a silent sigh, worry painted on her face.

~…Elizabeth…~

 ** _~Prima donna girl_**

 ** _All I ever wanted was the world_**

 ** _I can't help that I need it all_**

 ** _The prima donna life, the rise and fall~_**

 **Tomura stared at the unfinished canvas before him.** No matter how many times he did it, he couldn't help but start another one. He had always been fast when it came to painting, amazingly so, but to have his attention stuck on this one woman…it was insane.

He had painted her so many times over the years, at least what he felt she would have looked like as she grew up, but they all paled in comparison to the real thing. How did he ever think he'd do her beauty justice?

Lifting his brush again, his hand froze as the cool breeze hit the back of his neck. He was still for a moment before letting a grin pass over his face. He barely had enough time to set his sake cup aside before being tackled to the ground. There wasn't even a struggle as he let the assailant do as they pleased; his smile didn't even fade away as he was rolled over onto his back.

"I knew that my father's…escapades would eventually come back to haunt me." Tomura set his brush down, focusing his full attention on the woman that had straddled him. He could feel the cool point of the knife pressed against his neck; he did his hardest to stay calm. "Tell me, that's the truth, isn't it? The son shall pay for the sins of his father in this day and age; they always will.

"That's right," Liza's knuckles were white as she gripped her knife. "Eleven years ago, your father sold an English child off as a slave after saving her from the streets of this very town. He sold her, for money, and ended up placing her in hell; all so he could buy some whore from a brothel."

"I know who you are," Tomura told her. "I was merely a teenager when my father brought you to our home all those years ago. Never before had a seen someone like you before. Not with the golden hair like the sun or those bright blue eyes of the sky. I knew the moment I saw you in town that you were that little girl eleven years ago. I knew that you would be here for revenge."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to reply when something fell on the man's face. Her eyes widened. They were tears; her tears. As she stared down into this man's face, the face of the man that she was about to kill, she was crying. Why? Why did she cry?

"If only we had met under different circumstances," Tomura whispered, reaching up and using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"Stop it!" Liza shook her head, making his hand drop. "Don't you understand what's happening? I'm about to kill you! And over something that you didn't even do! Because of your father!"

"If I am dealt the hand of death, then I will happily accept it from an angel such as you." He smiled brightly at her. "If it brings you peace after all these years…I accept it. Someone as pure as you should not have been made to suffer as you have. You should be living a life of love and peace, showered with money and kindness, not on the run from the law under such a disgusting name as 'Terror Sister'."

She felt her eyes widened. "You-you knew who I was? You knew and you still brought me here? Why? Did you…" Realization hit her. "You knew I was going to kill you."

"As I said, I remember all about you. I…I am so sorry for what happened," Tomura continued. "I don't know the full story of what happened at Norika, but I know that it only happened to you because my father sold you off to the lord of the castle. I knew that, eventually, you would be back for my father. I only apologize that you didn't arrive before he was…disposed of."

She stared at him. "You killed your own father?"

"One life is not worth the same as another," Tomura answered her, "My father didn't ruin just your life, but many. I had to stop him. I've been waiting for you to come back, I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

"You're not telling me why!"

"But didn't I?" He continued to give her that same, carefree smile. "If my death will bring you peace, I will accept it from your hands. That's the only type of apology I can give you from my father. Please, do as you please with me.

The woman tightened her shaking grip and took a deep breath, her mind raging a war inside her head.

Not long after, as Liza exited the now burning house, she found Reiko standing outside waiting for her. Her face was blank, but Liza kept her face turned from her.

"Are you sure that burning this place down was a good idea?" Reiko asked as the moved away. She watched as their shadows grew longer as the fires behind them rose higher.

"Does it really matter?" Liza's answer was short and sharp. "We'll be passing right by the remains of the castle. Maybe giving them a little scare is what we need to do. After all, I don't want to be erased from anyone's mind, especially not theirs. They call us the Terror Sisters. Let's make sure they remain trembling from memories of us."

Reiko wanted to glance at the woman beside her, to say something to her to try and change her mind, but she didn't Instead she merely closed her eyes as she tried to shut out the fire from her mind.

"As you wish."

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Nine_**

 ** _Confessions_**

 **"What do you mean you can't read?"**

"Would you keep it down, you idiot?!" Mugen growled, slapping a hand over Ryu's mouth. "Any louder and the others will hear."

"Oh, they're preoccupied with their own shit right now. But seriously, you can't read?"

"I get by just fine without it," Mugen replied. "Besides, you don't gotta read in order to be able to kill people."

Ryu laughed as their food was served. "I suppose that's true."

The group had settled down in a restaurant in another town. Fuu was carrying on a conversation with Jin across the way while Liza and Reiko sat at their own table, not a word being passed between them. It had been nearly a week since the events at Bunko, a week since Jin had awoken him in the night and made the leave the painter's house just for them to see it burning from a distance. Ryu had a few choice words for Liza when the English woman had joined them outside of town again; Mugen had never seen Liza so angry. Had Reiko not stopped her, Mugen had no doubt that Ryu would have died that night.

Reiko ordered them to move through the night to get as far away from Bunko as possible by sunrise, and Liza had slipped off not long after. Mugen went searching for her, to ask her what had happened, but when he found her crying…he didn't know what to do. He had never dealt with a crying woman before, so his mind just went blank. He had left her there, left her to cry alone, and returned to the others.

He hadn't even been able to look at her since, let alone say a word.

"Don't feel bad! When I first met Liza, she didn't know how to read either."

Mugen looked at him in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. Reiko was teaching her. She had grasped most of it but she was still confused. The duo was more worried about staying hidden in the first five years than anything else."

"Hidden, huh?" Mugen pulled a frown. "Ryu, you…never mind."

Ryu watched Mugen for a moment before sipping from his cup. He knew that Mugen was going to ask about the events at Norika castle but had stopped himself. He was glad about that. He liked Mugen, Jin too, but he felt that it was his duty to keep the secret that Liza and Reiko ad given him. If Mugen or Jin were to ask…he'd probably end up telling them and Reiko would kill him as a result.

Ryu understood that the closer they got to what was left of Norika Castle the worse the two women were going to get, but he had a problem of his own to deal with.

Fuu was after the Sunflower Samurai; he knew what she wanted. He had plainly told her that he was against it from the start, that he felt that her searching for the samurai was a horrible idea, but she was a stubborn as he remembered.

That's what he liked about her, after all.

Ryu silently thanked God that he and Fuu weren't really brother and sister. Her mother may have taken him in when his own parents died but by that age Ryu had already announced that he was going to marry Fuu when they were older. He doubted that the young girl even remembered that from all those years ago, but that was a promise to himself that he planned to keep; he just had to gather the courage to ask her now.

It was funny. He was a man on the run from the law and yet he got cold feet when bringing up marriage to the one he had been in love with for years.

He was a coward.

There was no other word that Ryu felt described him best. His father would be ashamed.

As the day went on, Mugen was kidnapped by some school teacher and Jin went to go see a man he used to learn under. The entire town was tagged at night with graffiti. Though he liked the artwork, he found it to be completely retarded.

He found himself worrying about Reiko and Liza more than anything, though. He knew they were getting closer to where Norika Castle had once stood but was that all there was to it? Was there nothing else that was making the two of them act this way? He didn't know what to do anymore.

"I'm getting really worried."

Fuu's voice made Ryu look up from the book he was reading. The duo was in the room that the group had for their stay here in this city. Reiko and Liza were out, much like Mugen and Jin still. The two of them had a run-in with a pair of goofballs earlier and Ryu had dragged the younger girl back to their room. Of course, he had to buy her a few things of the market to get her to follow him. She was currently sitting in front of a mirror, doing her hair up with the new pins he bought her.

"What for?"

"Liz'a been really weird lately. So has Mugen.'

"Mugen?" Ryu frowned. "That bastard's crazy as ever."

"No, he's changed since we first met."

"How so?"

"I don't know, he just has!"

"Are you…jealous?"

"No! Just…just worried. When this is all over, we'll part ways, right? I've gotten attached to the two of them, even if they can be jerks."

Ryu gave a frown. "I don't think I like you getting so attached to other men."

Fuu gave a snort. "You only say that because you're my brother."

"I've never thought of you as my sister," He told her. "I've always wanted you to be more than that."

The moment the words were out, Ryu bit his bottom lip. They had just escaped; then again, he was hearing the woman he was in love didn't want to part ways with other men. She hadn't meant it in that way though, had she?

Fuu turned to look at the man behind her, surprise clear on her face. "Matsu, what are you talking about?"

Ryu closed his eyes for a moment. He could see the panic on her face; the light dusting of blush on her cheeks. Relief passed through his heart. Perhaps his feelings weren't alone in this strange, twisted obsession.

"I meant what I said, Fuu. You were never a sister to me. Instead, you're the one-"

All words were stopped as the door opened and Mugen rejoined them with an accomplished look on his face. Ryu gave a sigh and rolled back over to re-emerge himself in his book. It figured that when he finally went to confess that someone would interrupt.

Maybe he should ask Liza for help; that woman had no problem expressing her feelings; especially when it came to situations like this.

 ** _~You're not the only one_**

 ** _Walking around with a loaded gun_**

 ** _This little girl is capable of murder_**

 ** _Cause you hurt her~_**

"I want to go to the remains."

Reiko's hand paused for a moment before continuing to run over the blonde hair that laid in her lap. The duo was currently sitting by the river as the moonlight shone down upon the sparkling water. The night would have been perfect if not for the rambunctious events happening further in town by the castle. They knew all about the graffiti war that was currently happening.

Norika Castle wasn't far from here at all; maybe four days. A slight detour wouldn't bother the others, would it? Besides, it was an important place, despite what happened. Norika was where Reiko learned to actually live and care for others. It was where she and Liza first met and despite all that happened, she would choose to do it again if it meant that she and Liza could be together.

"And when we get there, I want Mugen to piss on their graves."

Reiko was still for a moment before laughter began to ring from her mouth. Liza glanced up at the woman she laid on, a small smirk on her own face. It had been a while since she had heard Reiko laugh so…normally.

"I'm serious! I want Jin to do it too! And Ryu. I would do it myself but…it's easier for a man to do so."

"Indeed," Reiko wiped the tears from her eye with the corner of her sleeve. "I believe that Jin and Ryu will refuse but I've no doubt that Mugen would do so; especially it if were you who asked him too."

"Yeah," Liza closed her eyes. "He…" Her voice faded away.

Reiko frowned for a moment. "What is it?"

"It's funny," Liza began softly. "I hated and loathed every man that I came across after the events in Norika castle. But him...he's the first one that I've never thought about like that," She glanced back up at Reiko with a smile. "Funny our world, isn't it?"

As she stared down, she found herself surprised. There was a fond look in the other woman's eyes, feelings that she had almost been sure would never reveal themselves in either of their eyes.

"Are you in love with him?"

Liza gave a snort. "I don't even know what that is, you know that. All I know it that I like having him around. That and…and he's the first man that…that I haven't shuddered at his touch; or felt sick from his kiss. He's gotta be a wizard, don't you think? Maybe he's slipping something into my tea."

Reiko snorted. "I doubt he's smart enough."

Liza smiled and closed her eyes again. "I…I feel like I owe him an explanation. I know he's been worried about me ever since the events on the ship. I…I want to explain everything to him…and I don't know why."

Reiko pursed her lips together for a moment. She knew that their past would eventually be revealed to the group that they were traveling with; hopefully it wouldn't change anything. She had grown…rather fond of their companions as well, especially after Mugen had saved Liza from the ocean and Jin…

Jin. She felt an uneasiness in her stomach. The last conversation that the two of them had held, he had begun to break through her. She was about to reveal it all to him. How? How could a man do that to her?

How could she let that happen?

"I would rather you not," Reiko answered her truthfully. "But if that's the choice you wish to make, I cannot stop you. I just want you to ready yourself for the reaction you'll receive."

Liza looked at the older woman again, a smile on her face. "Don't be afraid, Reiko; you're still my main bitch."

Reiko laughed again, leaning down to place a kiss on the English woman's forehead. "And you're mine. No matter what happens, I'll always take care of you."

"We'll take care of each other." Liza cocked a brow at all the shouting that was coming from the castle a little ways away. Something must have happened. Was this stupid graffiti battle over with? "I think we've hidden everything for too long. I…I want to stop hiding."

Reiko watched as Mugen's form landed in the water not too far from them, resisting the urge to laugh again as Liza sat up, waiting for the man to join them when he spotted them.

"Then to the remains it is."

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	11. Chapter 10

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Ten_**

 ** _Anger and Separation_**

 ** _"Ikitsuki Island?"_** Liza glanced over at Ryu. "What do Christians have to do with this person your girlfriend is looking for?"

"I'm not sure yet. The island is apparently a place where underground Christians gathered. Apparently, Seizo, the sunflower guy, was there as well. The island was attacked, though, ad everyone scattered. That Yuri chick said she didn't see Seizo again afterwards."

A few days ago, they had a weird run-in with some Spanish guy that was creating guns and making deals with lords all over the land for money. Turns out that the Spanish guy was really Japanese and faked being a servant of God. The bastard had met his fate when the gun he was trying to use to kill them exploded on him. Not the Island was their next step, Fuu revealing to them that the Sunflower Samurai was actually her father.

"So, she hasn't seen daddy since she was a kid, eh?" Liza folded her arms behind her head. "Some people would consider that a good thing, you know."

"You say that only because you didn't know your father," Ryu shot back. "He ditched you and your mother before you were even born so you feel no attachment to him."

"Touche'."

Ryu gave a sigh of relief when Liza didn't retort. He had feared in offending her and didn't feel like dealing with Reiko if the older woman, undoubtedly, stepped in. you couldn't blame him; Liza had been acting weird the last few weeks; ever since that near-death experience on the ship.

The group had settled in a restaurant as the rain hit hard that night, listening with a bunch of others as a young woman, blind, played and sang on a small stage before them. It was a sad song, catching Fuu and Reiko's attention as the others ate and drank, ignoring it.

"Mugen, don't eat all this guys' food," Fuu scolded her companion. "Show some restraint!"

"Sorry, can't do that," Mugen replied, shoveling more rice in his mouth. "Don't even know the meaning of the word."

"Eat as much as you want there, hotshot," Liza called down. "I'll cover it for you."

Mugen paused in his eating to glance at her for a moment. This…it was the first time that she had talked to him in a while; first time he had seen that smile of hers back on her face as well; it made him smile himself, a warm feeling seeming to explode in his chest.

"You heard the lady; keep it coming, old man!"

Reiko gave a sigh and sipped from her sake as the Goze came over and took a seat beside her. She gave a sigh as Mugen began to hit on the woman; a frown formed on her face as she shot Liza a glance. After the confession that Liza had given about liking Mugen, she had kept a closer eye on her whenever the vagabond w2was around other women. Liza didn't seem to notice though, seeming as how she had entered into her conversation with Ryu again. If she didn't get mad at his flirting, then there was nothing that she could say.

Then again, considering that Liza flirted with everything that could walk she couldn't get mad if Mugen did the same. Honestly, she was surprised that the blonde woman hadn't started flirting with the singer herself.

Ever since the events in Bunko, Liza hadn't flirted with anything, actually; not even Fuu, though that was merely just to make the younger woman uncomfortable.

Her attention was dragged from her thoughts by a duo, Yakuza, apparently, began to bother the young woman, demanding a share of her profit for setting up in their territory. Fuu tried to stop them but the Goze stopped her.

"I don't want your sympathy just because I'm blind."

"Would you two morons just leave," Reiko commented, annoyed. She was right beside the three of them, making her too close to just let this go on. "Trying to prove your strong by picking on a woman is just pathetic."

"What did you say?!"

"Deaf too? I can repeat it if you'd like."

"I said I don't want your sympathy!" The Goze told her, her voice more forced.

Reiko gave a growl, setting her cup down. "You think to highly of yourself," Reiko turned and face the two men. "You and your two lovers here are ruining my dinner, that's all. Either get the fuck out of here or I'll break _your_ hands."

"Maybe we should cut that tongue of yours out instead!" One of the men reached for her. Reiko didn't even have a chance to move before Mugen did, saving her from their touch.

"Maybe I need to rip out that tongue of _yours_ to keep you from picking a fight again!" A few seconds later the two men ran from the building, Mugen tossing his knife out after them. "Forgot this!" Their terrified whines could be heard as they ran further away. "Wussies. Those guys didn't even try to fight me."

"I know, right?" Liza giggled from her spot beside Ryu. "When are we going to run into some real men?"

Mugen gave a grin. "If it's a real man you're looking for, I'm right here, sweetheart. The two of us can go find a room and-" He was silenced as Jin hit him in the cheek with the butt of her katana and Fuu knocking him in the head with her shoe.

Liza laughed as Mugen cursed. Ryu and Reiko shared a sigh.

Reiko, Liza, and Ryu sat in silence as the other three talked to Sara, the woman thanking them, apologizing, and asking for them to travel to Hyuga with her. The woman offered to pay for their room and board along the way as well.

"Maybe Liza could help you in your shows," Fuu offered in eagerness. "She's a wonderful singer!"

Sara turned her head. "Is that so."

"I don't mean to brag, but I'm not too bad," Liza tossed back another drink. "But I'm afraid I only sing for those I deem worthy and frankly, that's not you. Sorry toots."

"Ooh, being kind of mean there, aren't you?" Mugen grinned from his seat.

"If you think that's mean you can't handle how I really am. Too bad, Mugen. For a minute there I was starting to think you were a man." She slammed her cup down on the table and stood. "Hyuga is right next Norika, so we have no qualms letting you travel that far; but after that, no more."

"Norika?" Ryu repeated as Liza sauntered from the building. The other trio of the group recognized the name, an uneasy feeling spreading through them all. "Is she planning to go back there?"

Reiko finished her drink and stood up herself, leaving some money on the table. "She can come with us to Hyuga, but no further than that."

Ryu stared after her with a shocked look on his face. He then turned at stared at the sake in his hand.

"Fuck."

They traveled together for nearly a month, thought Liza was still cold to the blind woman. Reiko was…Reiko, but Ryu had tried his hardest to make the young woman feel accepted. He actually enjoyed himself; she had begun to show him how to play her instrument and it reminded him of the time he had spent with his mother. She always used to play it for him when he couldn't sleep. It made him think of…better times.

The times he missed.

The group had stopped at a shack for some dumplings and, surprisingly, Jin was the one to start the conversation.

"Sorry to speak out of turn, but, isn't that a Kishibojin charm? You have a child, I take it."

Sara smiled. "Yes."

"Is the kid dead?" Mugen asked around a mouthful of dumplings.

"Mugen!" Fuu glared at the man across her from.

Sara shook her head. "Not at all. My child's alive."

"So, then I guess…it's with the father?" Fuu commented.

"The father is no longer around," Sara answered.

"Uh…but then…"

"Well, a blind woman isn't really the best mother for a child. Isn't it ironic? A woman like me, singing songs like 'Kuzunoha Leaves her Child'?"

"A blind mother is better than no mother." Liza's voice as harsh as she stood up, dropping coins in the hand of the stand owner. "Leaving the said child behind because of a reason like that just proves how poor of a mother you would be, even with sight."

"Liza!" Fuu cried in shock as the woman began to move again, her arms folded behind her head. Fuu glanced at Reiko. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Should I?"

"Reiko!"

"Liza…she was abandoned as a child, wasn't she?" Sara asked.

Reiko stood herself, moving after the other woman. "If only it were that simple."

 ** _~Sing me to sleep Now_**

 ** _Sing me To sleep_**

 ** _Oh, Sing me to sleep now~_**

 **"Everyone you meet has their won individual aura about them.** It's something I can sense. You see…I've walked in darkness for a very long time. A person can grow accustomed to anything."

Liza wore a frown on her face as Sara's words hit her. She had been on her way from the hot spring, not wanting to be there with the blind woman when Sara had joined her, but froze when a splash hit her ears and Mugen's voice joined it.

Something about this woman just made Liza uneasy and with Mugen being close to her, it made it worse for some reason.

"I may have lost my sight but I have a much keener sense for other things as a result. So please…don't feel sorry for me. If you wish to feel sorry for someone, then I would feel sorry for Liza. She is clearly burdened by something heavy."

"Liza's a big girl," Mugen's reply came. "She can take care of herself. It seems that's what she wants to do, after all. Besides, if you were happy then you wouldn't go around singing those songs you do."

As Fuu's screech sounded through the area, Liza slipped off again, heading for the room that she and Reiko shared. She paused when she saw Reiko and Jin having a hushed conversation outside it's doors, a smile appearing on her face as she shoved her feelings aside.

"Oh? Come to join us for the night, Jin? How sweet, but you're really not my type."

"That's a shame," Jin replied coolly. His words, or rather, his reply in general, caught her off-guard. Normally he would just ignore her and flush as she flirted. His reply was, no doubt, advice from Reiko; her suspicions were confirmed with a glance at the smirk Reiko was trying to hide.

This journey was just getting stranger and stranger.

And it just got weirder as time went on.

One night, during what appeared to be a festival, Fuu had a breakdown and stopped talking to any of them, even Ryu. And then she announced that she wanted Jin to go with Sara to see her son. Mugen instantly began to argue with her, causing an uproar.

Liza watched as Reiko set her cup aside.

"I refuse."

Everyone looked at her.

"What?" Fuu asked in shock.

"I don't think it to be smart for us to split up, especially over the like of her."

"Reiko-"

"I agree," Liza added. "The woman's been traveling around by herself for years, if what she said was true. She should be able to find her way to her son easily enough on her own. What does she need one of us for?"

"Aren't the two of you being rather mean?" Fuu demanded. "She needs help!"

"Then she can find it somewhere else." Reiko replied. "We have our own problems to take care of, you know."

"I know that, but-"

"I'm not going to waste anymore of my time," Reiko's cold eyes stared at Fuu. "If you insist on helping this woman, then this is where Liza and I part ways with you."

"Are you serious?!" Mugen looked shocked, staring at the two women. "Please tell me that you're joking!" He glanced at Liza, but the blonde had closed her eyes, her lips pursed tightly into a thin line. "Liza?"

No one said a word, all remaining quiet. Reiko gave a snort and stood up.

"Your silence gives me your answer. Let's go, Liza."

"Are you seriously just leaving?" Mugen demanded but he received no answer from either woman as they exited the building. He gave a curse and tossed his rice down, running after them.

Ryu gave a sigh and took a drink. "In my years of traveling with them, I have learned to trust Reiko's intuition. I don't know what you did, sweetheart," He glanced at Sara. "But I'd rather you not prove her right."

Sara didn't move, staying quiet with a frown.

 ** _~Sing me to sleep Now_**

 ** _Sing me To sleep_**

 ** _Oh, Sing me to sleep now~_**

 **"Hey, wait a second!** Would you guys rethink this? You can't just bail on us here, you know!"

"You trusting that woman is foolish. The deceit is practically falling off of her in waves and yet you think of nothing but your dick as the other three ignore it." Reiko replied, not even bothering to look back at him. "Joining the three of you was a mistake in the beginning and this idiocy is just proving my point further."

"Hey, come one now, the chick's blind; cut her some slack. I don't understand what you're so angry about."

"That woman is trouble," Liza told him. "You should just come with us. Norika isn't far from here. If the others are smart, they'll follow us there."

"Norika, huh?" Mugen frowned. Liza stopped to face him, leaving Reiko to continue on out of the town. "Is that why you've gotten weird lately? Why is that?"

"I'd…rather not say."

Mugen frowned at her. "Why do you say that? It can't be that bad." Her eyes blazed at him and he swallowed. "Maybe it can be."

"You…you don't understand," She told him. "You just don't get it."

"I would get it if you just told me," He replied. "You can't expect anyone to understand you if you don't let them in."

"It's not exactly something you talk about over dinner, Mugen!" Her voice was loud but they both ignored the people staring at them.

"You can talk to me. Stay with us; I know you want to. Let Reiko go; you don't have to stay with her like this anymore. She's not your owner!"

Liza opened and closed her mouth multiple times, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"I…I can't…" Liza shook her head. "Reiko…I can't leave her."

"Not even for me?" Mugen's words were cold; hurt. Liza's eyes widened for a moment. He gave a sneer and used Reiko's words against her. "Your silence gives me your answer.' He turned around and began to walk back to the others. "Enjoy being on your leash, Elizabeth."

Liza stood in the same spot, watching Mugen walk off. That was the first time that he had said her full name; it sent a warm feeling through her body that was quickly overtaken by the feeling of sadness.

 ** _~Sing me to sleep Now_**

 ** _Sing me To sleep_**

 ** _Oh, Sing me to sleep now~_**

 ** _"I'll seek you out_**

 _Flay you alive_

 _One more word and you won't survive._

 _And I'm not scared_

 _Of your stolen power_

 _I see right through you any hour._

 _I won't soothe your pain_

 _I won't ease your strain_

 _You'll be waiting in vain_

 _I got nothing for you to gain."_

Reiko listened to Liza's voice that next night, a frown on her face. She felt like shit. She was angry at everything. Angry at the others. Angry at Liza. Angry at herself. She had snapped at the younger woman, though knowing her anger wasn't because of the blonde. It was anger at herself.

Earlier that evening they had found a body on the banks of the river they were following; it had been Jin. The man was unconscious, battle wounds all over him and from the look of his hands, he had been in the water for a while.

Liza had been patching his wounds and voiced wanting to go back to the others. That's when Reiko had snapped at her and the other woman went off, leaving her with Jin's body. This song…this was the song that Liza sang when she was trying to suppress her bloodlust. Her urge to spill blood was strong.

 _"I'm taking it slow_

 _Feeding my flame_

 _Shuffling the cards of you game._

 _And just in time_

 _In the right place_

 _Suddenly I will play my ace._

 _I won't soothe your pain_

 _I won't ease your strain_

 _You'll be waiting in vain._

 _I got nothing for you to gain._

 _Eyes on fire_

 _Your spine is ablaze_

 _Felling any foe with my gaze_

 _And just in time_

 _In the right place_

 _Steadily emerging with grace."_

"Such anger in a beautiful voice makes me nervous."

Reiko turned her head to look at the man that laid on the other side of the cave, his clothes hanging to dry over the fire beside him.

"You're alive."

"It appears so." Jin sat up just to wince as Reiko's fist collided with his head. He rubbed it, looking at the woman. "What was that for?"

"For you being an idiot." She hissed at him, curling her arms around her legs. "I told you that woman was dangerous, and you just go off alone with her? Did you not hear a word I said when I told you she was going to try and kill you?

"I heard you loud and clear," Jin replied, a small smile spreading across his face. He had not been expecting Reiko to react this way; it was cute. "That's why I decided to go with her. That woman…somehow she can read movements before you make them."

"A highly trained bastard, huh," Reiko lowered her forehead to her knees. "We'll never escape this, will we?"

"You did burn down an entire castle; not to mention all the ones that have died at your hands since then."

"With good reason," Reiko replied, not bothering to lift her head. "I…I couldn't take it anymore. If I had waited any longer then…Liza…" She stopped her voice, afraid of the quiver that she knew would be there. Things were silent for a moment, Reiko frowning as the rainfall could be heard. Liza hadn't returned yet, but her singing had stopped. She-

Her thoughts froze as a blanket was dropped over her shoulders. Jin had move beside her, their shoulders touching as he wrapped the blanket around them both. She chanced a glance at him and found his eyes closed. He looked…different without his glasses and his hair down. He still wore that stoic face, though.

"I apologize for making you worry."

"Just…don't do it again." She told him. "I already have enough on my mind without having to worry about your sorry ass, too."

"The fact that you want to worry about, and I quote, 'my ass', is heartwarming." He teased.

Reiko stared at him for a moment in disbelief before giving a laugh. Jin smiled. Slowly but surely, she was opening up to him. It pleased him to see her like this. It was what he wanted, after all, but the more she was like this the more he found out that he wanted more; but what was it?

"You're one of the few, pretty boy, but don't get cocky."

"Pretty boy?" He repeated with a grin.

"Shut it."

A peaceful silence fell around them for what dragged on for forever before Jin deicded to speak again.

"She's not coming back, is she?"

Reiko closed her eyes before leaning her head on his shoulder. If he wanted to sit next to her then he was going to have to deal with being turned into a pillow.

"Nope."

"Do you think she went after Sara."

"No doubt in my mind."

Jin gave a sigh and rested his head on top of her's. He was waiting for her to shove him off, but she never did. "She's going to kill her without a second thought."

"Yep." She gave a sigh herself. "Hopefully the others aren't around. Her…control will most likely falter."

"Should we go after her?"

"Probably." She snuggled in closer to him. "But it was her choice. She can handle herself."

Jin gave a grunt, saying he understood. Besides, he was too comfortable to move just yet.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	12. Chapter 11

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Eleven_**

 ** _Castle of Hell, Part One_**

 **"How are you doing?"**

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"I'm just fine. I'm more worried about the man that's riddled with holes."

"Coming from the woman that's riddled with holes herself."

Jin gave a smile at the woman beside him. Liza had returned at dawn the next morning, covered in blood and wounds, her naginata nowhere to be seen. She hadn't said a word about what had happened and so neither he nor Reiko had asked about it.

The three of them hadn't met up with the others again. Instead, when Reiko told Jin that she and Liza were headed towards what was left of Norika Castle, he joined them. He found that traveling with the two women was a lot more enjoyable that with all six of them together. Liza's flirts had come to a complete stop and Jin found out that she was quite knowledgeable in a lot of things that he normally would not expect to find in a woman's interests.

A big change had happened in Reiko, too. She had been carrying herself differently around Jin, though she still hadn't opened herself completely like he wanted her to. It was still a step in a better direction than how she first treated him. It seemed that the more he and Liza got along, the more Reiko liked him.

Though he enjoyed it just being the three of them, Jin could not deny that he missed the…rowdiness that happened when they were together with the others. They had been together for nearly a year now; it was like parting with good friends, even though he and Mugen still planned on trying to kill one another. There was no wat that that was ever going to change, in his opinion; unless Liza and Reiko were the ones that were going to do so. He was sure that they were the only two that could.

"I heal pretty fast so there's no need to fear. Besides, we're not here because of recent wounds."

Jin close his eyes. "Yes, instead we are here for old one, correct?"

Liza gave him a grin. "Think of it…as a kind of closure. After we get done with this…escapade with the Christian Dad that Smells like Sunflowers, Reiko and I will probably try to leave Japan, start somewhere new, if we can make it out. Coming here a final time is like…trying to bury the past, you know?"

Jin blinked. "Despite the fact that every port will be on the look out for you, you plan on trying to get on a ship after what happened last time?"

Liza gave a small giggle. "Well, it's either keep running here or take our chances to start somewhere new, somewhere free. Wouldn't you like that too? After all, Self-defense is still considered murder." The venomous tone to her voice made Jin frown. Her voice then turned cheery again. "Besides, I know that Reiko would like you to come along, even if she doesn't say so. So would I. You give off that reliable, big brother feel to me, you know? Ryu, too."

Jin couldn't help but give a soft smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should." Reiko's voice made the duo turn. They had been sitting just on he outskirts of the city, waiting while the other woman had headed into the city to scout. Jin had offered to do it but Reiko insisted that he was still healing; that and he wouldn't know the layout of the city like she did.

"How does it look?" Liza asked, jumping to her feet.

"No one noticed or said a word, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful," Reiko told her. "We should do what we came for and then get the hell out as fast as possible."

"I agree." Jin nodded.

"What about the castle?" Liza demanded.

Jin looked confused but Reiko knew what she was asking.

"They never rebuilt it."

The blonde woman grinned. "Good."

 ** _~I will keep quiet_**

 ** _You won't even know I'm here_**

 ** _You won't suspect and thing_**

 ** _You won't see me in the mirror~_**

 **"I don't like this."**

"What's not to like?"

"It just doesn't seem right. We know the truth about what happened. Doing this…it's just…it's just wrong."

"Ahh, don't give me your honor crap again, Daichi. They're criminals."

"According to the Shogunate."

"And it's the Shogunate that hired us, is it not?"

"No, it was Kariya Kagetoki that hired us."

"Same thing."

"No, it's really not. That old bastard has been retired for years. For him to come out-"

"You also forget the reason. That one woman, the older one, Reiko, she was able to slip past him ten years ago when he tried to stop them."

"They didn't just slip by; the woman demolished him. It's unknown how, especially when you consider who she was up against. What I do know is that Kagetoki's pride was gravely injured, and not just because she was a murderer; because she was a child that had no training. She nearly killed him. She was on a set mission to get the hell out of this city before they were caught. I'm shocked that she saved the child. If it had been me, I would have left that English one to burn with the rest of the castle."

Daichi gave a sigh and closed his eyes. "She was scared for her life. Survival instincts kicked in and luck was on her side. After what happened, she deserved it."

"You're an assassin, Daichi. You can't show sympathy for those you've been hired to kill."

Daichi fell silent with those words. His partner was right. It was not the assassin way to show sympathy. He was hired to do one thing and that was to kill. What should it matter to him who it was? Business was business.

But as he crouched there among the trees, watching the event before him, he couldn't help but double-think everything.

Daichi and his partner had been hired merely days ago to intercept the Terror Sisters at the remains of Norika Castle and to do all that they could to kill them. The moment the two women had entered the City, they had known. They had not expected the man to be with them, but he didn't seem like he was going to be a problem, considering the wounds that he held. In fact, the English woman seemed to be wounded as well.

Perhaps this was going to be easier than he thought.

Liza and Reiko stared at the area before them. Jin stood close behind them, taking in the grounds. What once had been a large, magnificent castle to a man named Akio Nobusani was now nothing but an area of soil. Ten years later and not even grass had regrown itself where the castle once stood. It was as though the land was cursed.

"Just give us a minute, will you?" Liza told Jin. "This won't be long."

"What about wanting him to piss on the graves?" Reiko teased. Jin blushed as Liza laughed.

"Jin's a gentleman so I won't ask him to do that for me."

Jin watched the two women walk forward onto the deserted grounds. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore everything as he remembered what he had heard in the city earlier. There had been many opinions on what had happened all those years ago.

 _"Norika was burnt to the ground over ten years ago; said it was done by one of Lord Nobusani's concubines and a maid. They're called the Terror Sisters now, I hear. Still causing havoc for the Shogunate."_

 _"I hope those women are caught and pay for their crimes. Lord Nobusani was such a kind lord. I honestly can't think of any reason why someone would want to hurt him."_

 _"In my opinion, that old bastard got what was coming to him. He thought that he could get his way just because he was a Lord, forcing women to lie with him; if you refused then you were either tortured until you complied or were killed. Of course, most will deny it; he did everything in secret and behind closed doors. I don't know what's worse, him for what he did or the ones that allowed and helped him do it. His death wasn't near painful enough."_

Everyone had their own opinions, most kind, but there were a few that made him think otherwise. He knew nothing about this Nobusani and so he could not make judgement. What he could make judgement on, though, was the two women before him.

"Why are you praying?" Liza's voice made Reiko open her eyes. The woman stood beside her, grinning at the ground.

The moment she had stepped onto the soiled grounds, it was like she was right back in the castle all those years ago. She remembered the halls, the feel of the cold floor. The smell of the kitchen. The incense.

"I'm praying for those that died that should not have." Reiko answered. "Not everyone that perished in the fire deserved it."

"Bullshit," Liza replied, glaring at the ground now. "They all deserved what they got. They might not…they might not have done it themselves, but every last one of those bastards knew what was going on. They all deserved to burn. I just hope the fires in Hell are hotter than the ones in the castle were."

Reiko stayed silent, letting Liza have her words. Instead she began to focus on what she remembered from that night.

Then again, it wasn't like she could forget it.

The heavy smoke from the fire clouded her eyes and lungs. The warm, thick blood from every bastard that got in her way. The hard, cold handle of the katana she had taken from the guard. The small hand that clung to her kimono, hanging on for dear life as little legs tried to keep up in the halls as they ran. The fear that she felt. The adrenaline that pumped through her veins. The thought that this little child was counting on her to get them both out of this horrid place alive.

Castle Norika had been the Castle of Hell long before the fires had been set.

Reiko stood there in silence for a few more moments before backing away, leaving Liza laone as she rejoined Jin.

The man wasted no time.

"We're being watched."

She tried to keep her body loose. "I am aware."

"At least two from the trees, as far as I can tell."

"Again, I know."

"You knew this would happen," Liza commented.

"Yes, we just didn't plan on Liza being wounded and without a weapon." She glanced at him. "The same goes for yourself." She closed her eyes. "Liza's arm still hasn't healed completely so she won't even be able to use your blade." She opened them again. "I want you to take her and get out of here, so I can deal with them without a distraction. If there are more than two, we'll find out."

Jin didn't like that plan. To leave Reiko alone to deal with this…he'd rather receive more wounds by staying with her to help. "Perhaps they won't attack."

She gave a snort. "You know better than I do that that is not ever the case." Sadly enough, that was true. "Just…get her to safety; please."

Jin closed his eyes and, against her better judgement, nodded. "I'll keep her safe."

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	13. Chapter 12

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Twelve_**

 ** _Castle of Hell, Part Two_**

 **"Come on, guys.** Can't you give a girl a break?"

Liza rubbed the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. She had known the chance of them being attacked here was high, she just hadn't been expecting this. It was as if an entire village of ninja were after them; every time she turned around some were there.

Jin had grabbed her the moment that the attack happened, leaving Reiko behind to fight alone. Liza wanted to turn back but they were still attacked themselves.

Refusing not to retaliate, Jin had drawn his blade and acquired one for Liza only moments before they were separated. Now the English woman was surrounded and alone in the forest.

Liza refused to go down. As careful as she could be of her still healing arm, she was forced to use the blade in her left hand until there was no other options. Wielding a Naginata had made her left arm powerful enough to keep herself safe and kill others but her right arm was still her main one.

She struck against the enemy as fast as she could manage, dodging attacks as she went. She found herself cursing her own stupidity out in her head. If she hadn't been wounded against that blind woman, then she wouldn't be suffering like she is right now. She shouldn't have gone off and fought her; she shouldn't have gotten wounded; she shouldn't have killed her.

Killing Sara wasn't what bothered Liza, no, but it was the reaction that Mugen had to her doing it.

The ferocious look on the vagabond's face, it sent chills down her spine. His glare froze her as he yelled at her, screamed. His eyes…they looked just like…like his.

Mugen had approached her but the moment his fingers brushed her skin, she had run.

She ran as fast as she could to return to Reiko and Jin, as if the Hounds of Hell were at her heels; she ran to escape the voices, the touches, the eyes.

She ran to escape herself.

Running nearly right into this death trap had not been the plan. She didn't know what was worse; them just attacking or them not saying a word as they did.

Normally her enemies would shit talk to her or try to convince her to surrender but these guys…they said not a word. Their faces hidden behind masks, making her nerves jumble more than they already were. She hated masks more than anything. They reminded her too much of her early days.

"God damn bastards!" She screamed as a blade hit her left shoulder. "Just leave me alone already!"

She hated how her voice sounded. She sounded scared and…and weak. She sounded like she did back in Norika castle. She swore to herself that se was never going to sound like that ever again. If this is where she was going to die, then she was going to do it with a god damn smile on her face!

"All right, you cocksuckers! If you want me, come and-" Her voice faltered a bit as a shadow jumped over her, placing itself between herself and the enemy. "-get me?"

She froze for a moment, unsure of what just happened, until she recognized the shadow that had joined her.

She didn't even bother blinking back the tears of relief as they formed in her eyes.

"You know, you guys attacking a lady just doesn't really sit well with me, especially when he's wounded." Mugen glared at the group before him, a death grip on the sword in his right hand. "Especially when said woman belongs to me, you got it? I'm thinking I need to teach you bastards some manners."

The men had paused for some reason at Mugen's arrival but as the words left his mouth they rushed forward to attack again. Again, it seemed like an endless stream of them and there was so much blood and loose body parts flung all around the area as Liza and Mugen fought them off. The man tried his hardest to keep them from getting to her but there was just no way he could do it all alone.

And then, like a miracle, the enemy seemed to stop coming, leaving just the two of them in the field of death. Liza bent over, her breaths hard and fast. Her right arm was throbbing. She wanted to fall to the ground right there and just take a nice, long nap, but there were three reasons that she couldn't.

One, there could still be enemy hiding in the tress around them and she didn't feel like dying because she took a nap.

Two, there was no way in hell that she was going to sleep on the ground with all this blood and dead bodies around her.

And three, well, he was currently moving towards her, sheathing his blade on his back again.

"Are you all right?"

Liza glanced at him, remembering the way he had looked at her the last time they were together. She gave a frown. "What, not mad at me anymore?"

The man sighed, as if he was expecting something along these lines. "I wasn't mad at you," Mugen sounded so dejected. "I was mad at myself. Angry that you had to save me; that you got hurt because of me. I tried to chase after you but my wounds, and Ryu, wouldn't let me. I told him that if something happened to you, then it was his ass." There was a pause. "Ryu and Fuu found Reiko and Jin." She finally turned and faced him fully and was surprised to find the bashful look on his face. "We've been here all morning, looking for the two of you. Imagine our surprise when we found Jin, too."

Liza felt her frown falling from her face. He had been worried about her, even after what he had said to her.

 _"I would get it if you just told me," He replied. "You can't expect anyone to understand you if you don't let them in."_

 _"It's not exactly something you talk about over dinner, Mugen!" Her voice was loud but they both ignored the people staring at them._

 _"You can talk to me. Stay with us; I know you want to. Let Reiko go; you don't have to stay with her like this anymore. She's not your owner!"_

 _Liza opened and closed her mouth multiple times, unsure of what to say for a moment._

 _"I…I can't…" Liza shook her head. "Reiko…I can't leave her."_

 _"Not even for me?" Mugen's words were cold; hurt. Liza's eyes widened for a moment. He gave a sneer and used Reiko's words against her. "Your silence gives me your answer.' He turned around and began to walk back to the others. "Enjoy being on your leash, Elizabeth."_

"I hurried here after leaving the others. Reiko…she's got a few wounds but other than that, she's all right. Jin-"

As she stared at him, his voice falling on deaf ears, the shy expression on his face as he rubbed the back of his head, all thoughts of right or wrong left her.

Neither of them were wounded.

They weren't in just some random field.

They weren't covered in blood or surrounded by dead bodies.

They were just a man and a woman, alone with each other.

"Mugen," She stared at him with desire in her eyes as he glared at the bodies around them.

He wiped the blood from his face, anger still clear in his eyes. "What?"

"Your payment has been fulfilled."

"Wha-" Mugen's question was lost when Liza jumped onto him, capturing his lips hungrily; he returned it happily.

Liza was glad that Mugen wasn't a gentleman like Jin was. Jin would have dragged her off to the nearest town and gotten a room, ruining everything. Instead, Mugen was like her, embracing the moment and giving back exactly what she gave.

Her heart was pounding against her chest and her body ached but she ignored them all, wanting nothing but the man in front of her.

Mugen knew that this was highly inappropriate at the time, with her wounded like she was, but her touch lit a fire inside of him. Her skin was on fire as her hands began to pull his clothes off. If she was well enough to be doing this, then he wasn't going to stop her. To be honest, he was proud of himself. After all, he had waited this long without just taking what he wanted from her. That was a first.

Careful of her wounds and right arm, he began to pull her own kimono off, giving nibbles and licks across her collarbone and neck. The pleasing shudder he felt pass through her body made him grin as he felt his sword fall from his back.

Liza began to pull him backward, refusing to pull her body off of him. Mugen, instantly knowing what she was doing, spotted a clean patch of grass, no blood or dead bodies near it, and happily pushed her down on it before following her, ripping open the rest of her clothes.

Her skin was a pale white, like milk, and so smooth. The smell of honey wafted from her hair, mingling with the sweat and blood that was around the two of them. The white top that she wore under her kimono hid her breasts from view but everything else was exposed; even her scars.

Mugen tried not to stare, showing her that he didn't care, but as he placed kisses and licks all over her stomach, his eyes calculated every last one of them. Most looked like battle wounds, those he wasn't surprised with, but there was one of them that he didn't like the look of. There, on her left hip, was what appeared to be a brand. It was some type of flower, and he recognized it from one of the shops that he had passed by in the city behind them. It had been the symbol of the Lord of Norika, Akio Nobusani.

Anger rose in Mugen's chest now. He didn't have to think hard about why that symbol was there. The pieces to the puzzle called the Terror Sisters were staring to fall into place, revealing more and more about the beautiful woman that was trapped beneath him in the grass.

His hand undid the belt of knives from her thigh and he caressed her skin softly as his placed a soft kiss over the brand. He felt her jump a bit, his lips extremely close to her nether regions, and glanced up at her. He lifted his brows at the embarrassed look on her face as she bit the bottom of her lip, trying hard not to look at him as she gazed off to the side.

He had only seen one type of woman react that way when he…

A grin spread across his face as another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

"Liza…" Her eyes glanced at him, the look in them assuring him that his assumption was correct. "Are you…a virgin?"

Everything fell so quiet; he could hear her as she swallowed, licking her lips nervously as she opened her mouth to respond.

"S-so what if I am?" Liza growled. "What? Do you only like women who spread their legs for every damn-"

Mugen silenced her with another kiss. He pulled back again with a sinister grin. "This makes the wait even better."

Liza was a virgin. It now made sense. She flirted so heavily but every time a man had tried to take her to his room, Reiko was always there to interfere. Always.

 _"I say the two of us hurry out of here," Liza was softly saying, curled up against the young man beside her. "You can finish that painting of yours…and maybe even more."_

 _"I'll happily take you up on that offer," The man replied, running a finger across her neck. Mugen glared at the other man. "We can go ahead and excuse ourselves and-"_

 _Mugen had been about to slam his chopsticks down and make a remark but Reiko had beat him to it, standing from her seat._

 _"We're leaving, Elizabeth."_

 _The blonde, not even missing a step, gave the man a smirk before sliding away from him. "Sorry, sweetie, but mommy calls."_

 _As Mugen watched the woman separate herself from the painter, he couldn't lie; he felt relief hit him like a brick._

 _"Aww, don't be like that," Tomura replied with that smile still on his face. "I promise I won't hurt her; you can even join us if you'd like."_

 _"I thank you for your hospitality, but I must refuse your offer," Reiko glared at him as Liza moved to stand behind her. "I don't like the thought of another touching something that is mine."_

 _The man raised a brow. "Surely you jest. Two women such as yourselves can't possibly-"_

 _His words were cut off as Reiko turned, placing her hand around Liza's neck and pulling the other woman's face down to lock lips with her. Liza wasted no time, sliding a hand down the other woman's back. Everyone around the table let their mouths drop open as Reiko's cold, grey eyes peered at their host hatefully over Liza' shoulder._

 _After Reiko stepped back, Liza gave a huge grin as she lifted the smaller woman up in her arms bridal style. She gave the group a wink with her blue eyes full of laughter. "Looks like I'm the only lucky one tonight, boys." She left the room with Reiko in her arms, snickering as the door shut behind them._

 _"Holy shit..." Mugen had to swallow the drool in his mouth._

 _"Holy shit seconded," Ryu gulped himself._

 _"Third," their host echoed. Fuu gave a sigh and slammed her head down on the table as Jin frowned._

The bond between these two women…it made Mugen jealous. Jealous that he wasn't the one that shared it with the blonde beneath him.

He was just going to have to fix that.

Mugen had never slept with a virgin before, making this experience something that he was going to be proud of in the future. He did what he normally did though, teasing her body with kisses and caresses. She tried to touch him back, but he wouldn't let her, instead telling her to relax and let him take care of her. As it was her first time, he wanted her to remember it until she died; wanted it to be the best she ever had.

He'd let her return it in the future after he taught her some things first.

He spent what seemed like hours to him teasing her and playing with her. He didn't even care of the others found them like this, though part of him was happy it never came to that.

Finally, he couldn't help himself anymore and he slid inside her. The tightness that he found made him give a pleased grin as he hovered over the woman. She didn't whimper, didn't move, she didn't even look at him when he did it, her eyes shut tight as if she were trying to block everything out.

It was impossible to do so when he began to move, though.

He was a little worried at first when Liza gave no reaction to what was happening, but she soon began to make noises that turned louder and louder. She clutched to him, kissing every part of him she could reach, making a grin of victory spread across Mugen's face again, it growing wider and wider as he neared his climax. He did his best to hold on, wanting her to feel it first. He was rewarded with a cry of pleasure before finally giving in and doing the same.

He didn't move, just stayed propped up above her. As those big blue eyes stared up at him with undoubtable adoration, he leaned down and kissed her again.

Next time he would make sure to take her in an actual bed, not a field of the dead.

Neither of them moved for what seemed hours. Using what clothes they had to try and cover themselves, neither felt the urge to get dressed yet, instead lying there in eachother's arms as they let their bodies rest.

"I want a bath," Liza moaned against his chest.

Mugen chuckled. "We both do." He paused for a moment. "Sorry if I was…a little rough on you. I kinda couldn't help myself. You have no idea how long I've been wanting to…you know."

She snickered. "Nonsense. It was the best sex I've ever had."

"It's the only sex you've ever had."

"Let's keep it that way."

Mugen paused for a moment again, staring up at the sky as he tried to think of the right words.

"You flirt like a whore and yet you're a virgin; were a virgin." He felt her stiffen against him. He let go of a silent breath when she didn't pull back from him. "It all has something to do with what happened ten years ago. I think…I think I deserve to know what happened."

He was waiting for her refusal but got silence instead. He knew that she hadn't fallen asleep because she was tracing circles on his chest with her finger. He decided to just stay silent and wait.

"As I told you," Her voice began softly as her fingers continued to draw on him. "My mother fell in love with a samurai. Her parents were missionaries but when their daughter got pregnant, they left her here in Japan since it was out of wedlock. My father took her in and from what she told me, things were good, until he was killed by a group of bandits that raided the village we lived in. I had been one at the time. Mother tried her hardest but, in the end, I believe she just gave up. I was five when she died. Being a half-breed, not a lot of people wanted anything to do with me. I lived in the streets after that, stealing and eating whatever I could get my hands on. It was then I met a kind man that promised me a home. His name was Yuzu Yukimura. He was the father of that painter, Tomura."

That solved another puzzle on why Liza had killed the painter. Mugen wanted to comment but he stayed silent, letting her talk.

"He did help me, he took my home and I stayed there for about a week before…before I was sold."

She took and breath and then rolled over, leaving her back to him. He opened his mouth to speak but more scars cut him off and he frowned. The anger from before had returned.

"I was sold to Akio Nobusani, the Lord of Norika Castle. All though it was in secret, I was smuggled into the Castle with other girls my age; there were five of us. The moment I was inside that castle, I knew something was wrong. All the servants avoided our gazes as they pampered up and wouldn't answer our questions. Dressed up, we were presented to Nobusani every night at dinner, sat before him like dolls. When we spoke, we were hit so we learned quickly to stay silent. He never said a word, just stared at us with a gaze that seemed to ooze evil, before we were sent back to our room. The first night we were all scared and slept together, crying ourselves to sleep. It continued on for a month before one night…one night I was able to escape the room. I had shoved the door into the guard when he tried to close it and ran out into the castle. I hid under the pathway in the garden as the guards ran all over, searching for me. I was too afraid to move until a soft voice told me that I could come out of hiding.

"And that's when I first saw Reiko. Only a few years older then myself, she was treated like Nobusani's wife, dressed in gold and jewels but I saw just how miserable she was. Standing there in the moonlight, she looked like a goddess to me. She protected me from the guards that were chasing me, saying that she told me to meet her there that night to join her in a bath."

Liza took a breath.

"Unlike me, Reiko never knew a life outside the castle. She had been in Norika all of her life, being the child of one of the women that Nobusani impregnated."

"She's his kid?" Mugen couldn't stay silent anymore but Liza didn't seem to mind as she nodded.

"Yes. She was his child and still that bastard…he…" Liza squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't count how many nights I snuck in her room after he…was done with her. I tried to help her anyway I could but she always told me that she'd rather him…abuse her then do anything to me or the other children. That's why…that's why I can't leave Reiko. She…" Her shoulders trembled and Mugen placed a hand on her shoulder. "that's why she hates men. That's why she doesn't trust anyone. If her own father would do that to her, if everyone would just turn a blind eye to what that monster did to her and other children, how could she trust anyone?"

"After that, I was separated from the other children and allowed to stay with Reiko. I don't know how, she never told me why, but every night someone came for her and she would tell me to hide in her closet. When she would return, sometimes bleeding and bruised, but she would never cry in front of me. She promised that she would protect me and that crying before me was a sign of weakness; of her resolve to do so breaking. And then…then, one night, they dragged me and Reiko both to Nobusani's room.'

This was it. Mugen knew what was about to happen and his anger grew worse and worse. "How old were you?"

"Eight," She answered him timidly. "He...he would always touch me..." She whimpered. "Reiko tried to stop him, but his guards held her back. She struggled and struggled until Nobusani beat her himself. And then he made her watch. It…he was a sick, cruel monster…" She clenched her eyes shut, trying not to remember it all. "And then…the night of the fire…I had been brought alone. He wanted…I knew what he wanted." She fell silent for a few more moments. "I fought but what could…what could I do against him? Right before he…I saw Reiko. She had come to save me. She took Nobusani's desk and bashed his skull into the floor. She fell to her knees before me, asking for my forgiveness for not being able to protect me. That was the first time I saw her cry."

"That night, we fled the castle. She killed a guard and took his sword. She wasn't silent about it, either, alerting the entire castle about what was going on. With no training, she was running purely on adrenaline. I…I can't believe we even got out of the castle after it was all over. I…I couldn't do much but I had pushed a few down the stairs; saved Reiko's life by shoving a man through the window. It resulted in a lantern being knocked to the floor and so the castle caught fire. We've…we've been running from the law ever since."

"I flirt with others, yes, but in my head, all I can see is me ripping apart that...that bastard. Killing him with my own hands for...for touching me like he had!" She paused. "I even envisioned killing Ryu and Jin a few times but you...you were different. I don't know what it was about you, but you...you were the first man I didn't fantasize about murdering. That night in the restaurant, the night we were alone before Reiko interrupted us...you were the first man to ever touch me like that. It... I felt something that I had never felt before. If Reiko hadn't shown up...I'm...I'm sure it would have…we would have..."

"Is that right," Mugen grinned as he snuggled his face into the crook of her shoulder. He had learned what he wanted, and it made him more attracted to the young woman beside him. It made him want to lock her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to be the one to protect her now, not Reiko. "I'm happy to hear that."

"Why would that make you happy?"

"I had feared that you were just playing with me. Now that I know you were as distraught over your feelings as I was...it makes all this waiting worth it."

"It's...you were the first man that..." She closed her eyes again. "You didn't want to just receive pleasure. You wanted to give it. Every other man just wanted me to touch him but you...your first instinct was to touch me instead. You...caught me off guard, pirate."

"I'm good like that."

She gave a laugh and interlocked her fingers with his. "You're such a dork."

Mugen felt his arms tighten around her again. He didn't know what to do, what to say, after a story like that. She went through all that and still kept a smile on her face. This woman…she was stronger than he gave her credit for. They both were.

As he laid there, holding her, he made a vow to himself. Never again was he going to let her get hurt. He was going to protect her and give her whatever it was she wanted. If she wanted to stay on the run from the law, he'd be there with her. If she wanted to settle down in some secluded village then that's where he would be. If she wanted to get on a ship and escape Japan completely then he'd go with her.

He wasn't going to let her out of his sights ever again.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	14. Chapter 13

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Thirteen_**

 ** _Baseball Blues_**

 **"How the hell did we get involved with this again?"**

"Because your boyfriend over there decided to dine-and-dash."

"We only got caught because you three morons didn't run with us."

"I'm not a criminal!"

"Hate to burst you bubble there, Ryu, but you're on the run from authority. You're a criminal."

"Just…just shut up, Liza."

The group had found themselves involved in a baseball game with the visiting military from America. Mugen had tried to leave the restaurant without paying for food but the others hadn't been aware of his plans and were easily caught. Liza, who found it all hilarious as Reiko held her head as if in pain, had offered to pay it but Reiko refused to let her, announcing that Mugen couldn't have some one 'wiping his ass' for him for the rest of his life.

Mugen knew why Reiko was mad at him. It wasn't exactly a secret that he and Liza had had sex, especially when Fuu screamed when she found them in the field together. Mugen was proud of it though. Liza still flirted, yes, but nowhere near as heavy as she used to. He knew that he was the only man that she would ever think about laying with and so he held his head high when all the men they came across tried to. He'd only had to beat up a few of them.

Reiko was still…sour about it, but Mugen understood her feelings now. The bond that the two of them shared was something that he couldn't break; something that she was just going to have to get over and accept. It was never going to go away and he was…slowly convincing himself that as long as he was around Liza, then the older woman was going to be there as well.

Accepting that also made him think about something else. They were getting close to the end of this journey. Afterwards, everyone would split up and go their own ways. That meant that Liza and Reiko were going to go off again. He didn't like the thought of the two of them traveling on their own again. He didn't like the thought of Liza going off without him, her should say. The very thought of him and Liza parting ways, especially after what they had shared, it left a bad taste in his mouth.

But was he really going to subject himself to traveling with those two women in the future?

Part of him said yes and another part said no. He didn't have the answers, no matter how much he wanted them right now.

The man that had helped the others get out of their debt had been training them in baseball all night and as the sun rose, the time to play ball was getting closer and closer. Reiko was practicing catching with Fuu, it was hilarious to see Reiko with a catcher's mitt at that stoic look on her face as she tossed the small, white and red ball, and Mugen and Jin were trying to see who could hit a ball further with the bat. Considering that both men were sword wielders, it wasn't hard to see them doing so. The bat was similar to a katana so…

It had been about two weeks since the events that transpired with the remains of Norika castle. Jin and Liza were fully healed again and the group was all together once more. Reiko had made everyone swear not to even think about letting anyone else join their little group as they traveled, even if it was just to the next city. No one had any objections to that and their journey continued.

Everyone knew that it was coming closer and closer to an end; no one wanted to voice it, though.

"So, when are you going to tell her?" Liza asked the man that was stretching beside her.

Ryu did even give her a glance. "Tell who what?"

"Tell Fuu that you're in love with her."

Ryu's cool fell and he slapped a hand over her grinning face. "Would you keep your voice down!" After making sure that no one heard the woman beside him, he gave a sigh and dropped his hand. "I'm working on it." He closed his eyes. "I've decided to wait until after we find her father. She's got a lot on her mind right now, including all the shit that just happened with Sara. After we find her father then…I'll tell her my intentions. That way, if she doesn't feel the same, the rest of the journey won't be weird, you know?"

"I suppose that would help," Liza nodded. "But I don't think you got anything to worry about, Ryu. She can barely keep her eyes off of you."

The man slapped a hand over his face before glaring at his friend. "I hate you."

"You love me, and you know it."

More stretching and warmups took place before the opposing team arrived. Liza took one look at them before bursting out into laughter.

"They're-they're so god damn ugly!"

Mugen joined her in laughing, both of them trying to hold each other up. "If this is what the men overseas look like, it's no wonder your mother came over here!"

Reiko steeled herself, ready for Liza's attitude to flip and her anger rage against Mugen, but the blonde just continued to laugh against the man beside her. She was surprised at first, any mention of the younger woman's mother always made her angry, but it seemed that it wasn't the case when it came to Mugen. Instead, she just watched as they laughed, a small smile on her face.

"Here it is, the matchup of the century is underway." Reiko glanced to the side to see that a man had set up as an announcer and frowned. "The national prestige of America and Japan is on the line."

The Americans had a full team while the Japanese consisted of the six of them, Kagemaru, and a really old man from the village. Liza had tried to convince the elder to sit out, but he had refused, saying he would never forgive himself if he were to just stand back and watch.

"Baseball, huh?" Liza gave a huge grin as a coin was tossed to see who would go first. "This should be interesting."

"If any of them touch you, I'll kill them." Mugen's voice commented from beside her.

She gave a laugh; the first ones to bat were them. "Don't worry; they'd never make it to first base anyway."

Kagemaru used some of his old ninja tricks to get to first and Jin was second to bat, making it to first base.

"I wanna go next!" Liza stood up but Mugen moved past her.

"Don't worry, I got this."

Liza opened her mouth to speak but then gave a huff as she sat back down between Fuu and Reiko. "Jerk."

"He's just trying to show off," Ryu told her.

"I don't see why. We've already had sex; that was impressive enough."

"Could you please not?" Fuu asked from beside her, clapping her hands over her ears.

"That takes all the fun away, though. I could give you a few pointers for when you have sex, you know. There's this certain area that's very sensitive to men but you've gotta be bold to reach in there and-"

"That's enough of that, dammit!" Ryu pulled Liza away from the younger woman. "No more!"

Reiko shook her head, unable to hide her laughter as the game continued.

Mugen hit the ball but decided to run past Jin before the other man could make it to home, automatically making him out.

"Good job, dumbass," Ryu called to the other man as he rejoined them.

"How the hell was I supposed to know I couldn't do that!?" Mugen growled.

"If you had paid attention last night then you would have known." Reiko commented, eyes closed.

Mugen turned on her. "Not you too!"

"Calm down," Fuu waved her hands. "It's okay; just don't do that next time, got it?

"Me next, me next!" Liza jumped up before anyone else could move.

The sight of a woman at the mound made the Americans laugh, she even got a few cat-calls, but she ignored them all as she just grinned at the bat in her hands. Mugen found himself a bit tense. She was about to run bases. His imagination of the Americans trying to touch her made his anger rise; he gripped his hands until his knuckles were white, trying to keep himself calm.

Liza pointed her bat up over the trees. "This one's gonna go far, kids!"

There was laughter from the opposing team; until the sound of the bat hitting the ball echoed around the area and the said ball disappeared over the trees far beyond anyone's reach.

Liza happily blew kisses as she moved around all the bases, bringing her, Kagemaru, and Jin to home-base. "Gotta try harder than that, boys."

Up next was Fuu but the woman struck out, not even trying to swing her bat. Reiko took the base next, able to make it to second before the ball returned to the pitcher.

"Come on, Ryu!" Liza cheered from her seat. "Knock it out of the park!"

"Has anyone ever told you how annoying you are?" The man shot at her, stretching his arms.

"That's not what your little girlfriend said the other night."

Fuu pulled a face. "Ryu's got a girlfriend? When and how?"

Ryu tried to block them all out as he flushed red.

Liza giggled as she placed an arm around the teen's shoulders. "You'll understand soon enough, dear."

The game continued with Jin up to bat again but the American's decided to cheat, moving home base so he couldn't win. It left him open to being jumped on by the fat umpire.

The sound that left Jin's voice made Reiko look up. His glasses had flown from his face and he hung his head.

"I...am ashamed." Jin sighed.

"Jin..." Reiko narrowed her eyes.

"That's three!" Someone called out. "Change sides!"

With three players out, and Fuu being told by Mugen to stay out of this, Reiko, Liza, and Ryu joined the pirate, letting the Vagabond pitch.

"All right now, ladies," Liza grinned from her station near first. "Try and make this fun for me, will ya?

The man up to bat gave a reply that made Mugen's brow twitch as Ryu and Reiko both sighed. It only got worse as Mugen began to spin around on the pitcher's mound like when he fought, resulting in letting a man walk to first and being really dizzy.

Another one received a broken rib when Mugen decided to throw it. Another got hit in the face. Ryu and Reiko both sighed, the man covering his face with a hand as Reiko squeezed her nose. Liza was just giggling from her position, watching as Mugen knocked all the other men on the American Team out.

"This isn't baseball at all," Ryu sighed.

"Of course it isn't," Reiko replied.

As the last, remaining player on the Americans went up to bat, the blond man tossed his bat at Mugen, resulting in both of them being hit in the face.

As both Mugen and the American fell, Reiko slapped a hand to her face and Liza laughed. "Men are retarded."

"And yet we love them anyway." Liza moved to her friend, slinging an arm over her shoulder; she took note of the glasses that sat on top of her head. "Hanging onto those for your boyfriend, eh?"

Reiko glared at her. "If they broke then they would be a waste."

"Nah, I get it. Jin just…wouldn't look right without them." An idea popped up in her head. Taking the glasses from her friend's head, she pulled them on and struck a pose. "How do I look?"

Reiko blinked as Ryu gave a laugh. "You actually look pretty smart, Liza."

The blonde glared at the man. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Ahh, don't mind him," Mugen grinned, his right hand holding his swollen cheek. "He's just jealous because he can't have you."

"Aww, is that so? I'm sorry, Ryu; it's just not meant to be."

Ryu shook his head. "I swear to God, if I didn't know you, I would kill you both."

"Is that a challenge?" Mugen growled at the other man.

Liza turned back to Reiko as the older woman sighed as Mugen and Ryu began to argue. Liza chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment before taking Jin's glasses and placing them on Reiko's nose. Reiko stared at her in confusion for a moment when the younger woman squealed.

"Oh my god! You look so cute! We have to show Jin! Oh, he'll be obsessed!"

Reiko glanced away. "Stop exaggerating."

Liza opened her mouth to reply but noticed the light blush that was sprinkled over her cheeks. Liza was shocked into silence for a moment before a large smile broke out over her face.

~I've got an idea~

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	15. Chapter 14

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 **FYI, This is a really long Chapter!**

 ** _Chapter Fourteen_**

 ** _A Promise_**

 **A sigh of satisfaction left Reiko's mouth as the water of the Hot Springs encased her body.** It felt like it had been weeks since her last bath. With all the running around that they had been doing lately, especially the events at the castle, it was nice to let her limbs stretch out in the hot water and soothe their aching.

It had been almost a week since the Baseball Game with the Americans but Mugen was still bragging about his 'awesome' pitching and laughing at Jin for being knocked out like he had been. Fuu and Ryu were the adorable duo they always were, leaving just one person.

Liza was plotting something. The blonde was acting as normal as she can, but Reiko had been around her long enough to know when her devious mind was at work.

As she found a large rock to lean against, she closed her eyes in gratification as she thought about the last few days.

Liza and Mugen both had been adamant about coming here. They claimed that it was for privacy but considering where the two of them had sex for the first time, and every time afterwards, they definitely weren't subtle, so Reiko knew that it wasn't for privacy.

She thought that, perhaps, she was overthinking things, but as Liza demanded she be the first one in the Hot Springs, and alone, she knew that she was right. Instead of arguing or trying to figure out what the blonde wanted, Reiko just went along with it. Sake and food were sitting off to the side for when she wanted it, Liza telling her to take her time.

Her tolerance for the extreme temperature was never much but she found herself too tired to move despite that. She always told herself that she was foolish, but she couldn't help it. She though that, just maybe, the water could burn it all away; all her scars.

She never wanted to return to Norika Castle, not in real life, and not in her dreams. Drinking right before bed always kept the memories back but ever since the attack she hadn't slept a wink. She…she was too afraid too.

Liza had told Mugen everything that had happened at Norika Castle; he had approached her about it not too long ago. The conversation didn't…go how she originally thought that it would.

 _"I'm…I'm not good at these kinds of things," Mugen rubbed the back of his neck, looking very uncomfortable. "But I had to say something."_

 _"It's not necessary," Reiko didn't even glance up from the fire she was tending to. Everyone else was asleep, giving them privacy._

 _"It is to me," He told her. He then gave a sigh. "Look, I'm not going to grieve for you or apologize or give you pity. That crazy shit happened over ten years ago so it would do no good now. Besides, knowing what kind of woman you are, it would just piss you off."_

 _Reiko gave a small smirk. At least he understood that._

 _"What I do want to say is…thank you."_

 _She finally looked up at him. "Thank you?"_

 _"Yeah. Thank you… for saving Elizabeth."_

Reiko didn't know the last time she felt so happy. She may have thought poorly about Mugen when this crazy journey of theirs began, but she appreciated him now.

How could she not?

The Hot Spring was surrounded by a large wooden fence and it was the sound of the doorway opening that made her catch her breath. She froze, waiting. If it was Liza or Fuu, both wwomen would have announced their presence first thing. Had another assassin followed them here? Reiko had never fought naked before.

Oh well; first time for everything.

Staying behind the large rock, she snuck a look around it when she saw the ripples from someone entering the water. She instantly moved behind the rock again. She felt her skin growing hotter; and not from the water.

Jin had been the one to enter the Hot Spring. Reiko should have waited longer to take a glance because she ended up with a good…view before the water had risen above to his waist.

Jin's physique was thin and pale, unlike Ryu, who was tan and muscular, but Reiko had felt Jin's body before. For such a thin guy, he was strong.

And warm.

And comforting.

And-

Reiko slapped a hand over her face, trying to ignore the feelings in her stomach. They…they were unlike anything that she had ever felt before. They were pure, genuine. And she hated them. She hated feeling like this; about anyone. It made her sick about herself; disgusted.

And yet all she wanted was to feel his warmth again.

Glancing up, she took in a ragged breath. Jin had moved into clear view of her, yet to notice her, though. She took this moment to stare some more.

His shoulders were broad and smooth, she remembered from patching him up not too long ago. His black hair was released from it's tie, leaving it to cascade over his shoulders and back. His face was that blank, stoic look, as always, but his glasses were nowhere to be seen. It left his dark eyes more noticeable; more captivating.

She had two choices here. She could say something and one of them could leave or she could stare until Jin noticed her.

She really wanted to go with option two.

With a frown, Reiko crossed her arms. Something didn't make sense. Fuu and Liza would have told Jin that she was in the Hot Spring, so why-

"So, that's her plan."

She watched as Jin's head shot up and his eyes found her. She hated how adorable she found his blush to be.

"R-Reiko?" He jumped up just to remember he was naked and splashed back down up to his neck. "Forgive me! I…I was told no one was in here." He began to wander back out of her sight. "I shall leave-"

"If Elizabeth was the one to tell you that, then don't bother. She's probably locked us in together."

She heard the man give a sigh before he sauntered back to his previous spot; back into her view.

"I apologize," He told her. "But why would she-"

"Because she believes that you can heal my heart," Her voice cut him off. "She thinks that now she and Mugen are a thing, that you are the next step for me in waving off the past."

Silence passed between them before Jin spoke again.

"And can I be?"

Reiko refused to look up, instead watching as water escaped through her fingers. "I doubt anyone could dig down that far."

As things fell silent between them, Jin found himself going through his memories. Several times he had tried to crack through her defenses and open up. He made it his personal mission because he was curious but now…now he didn't believe that it was just curiosity that kept him prying.

 _"You lie; all you men do. The lust is clear on your face. It always is."_

 _The anger, the pain in her voice, made his frown deepen. It was clear that had been hurt. Did it have anything to do with what he saw the night before?_

 _There, back at Zuikou's home, he had seen something that he should not have. He had chanced by the bathing room just as Reiko had been undressing; apparently, she was not aware that she had left the door open a bit and so he got an eyeful of her back. She was a slim woman, curves that he would normally enjoy looking at and white skin that he would love to touch but there was something else there than made him freeze. He could still see them in his mind even now, plain as day. There had been burn marks all over her back, and not from just some kind of wild fire. There were stab marks and slashes as well._

 _This woman…she had been tortured._

 _"You don't trust men, do you?" Jin found the question leaving his mouth before he could stop himself._

 _She raised her eyes to look at him; he could see the anger in her cold, grey eyes. He also saw something else. A feeling that he couldn't describe._

 _"It's not just men," She finally replied. "It's everyone. The only one I can trust is Liza."_

 _Jin stared at her. "Allow me a chance to change that."_

 _He didn't know why he said that but there was just a feeling in his stomach that told him to do just that._

 _"It's a lost cause," She told him, finally standing. "So, don't bother; it'll just annoy me in the end worse than you already do."_

 _"Wait," Jin moved forward as she began to leave. "It won't do much, but take my hat," He held it out to her. "I know you're already wet, but it can help at least a little."_

 _Reiko glanced at him again before reaching into her kimono and dropping money on the counter before walking off into the rain again in silence. Jin gave a disheartened sigh. She was, undoubtedly, a hard egg to crack. That's what he was trying to do after all, right? He just didn't understand why that was. Then again, did he really need a reason? He was raised to respect women and to treat them right and help them when in discomfort. That's all this was, wasn't it?_

 **No, it wasn't just curiosity anymore, and he knew that. He knew that it had transformed into something much, much more than that. He originally knew that any hope of Reiko…returning the feelings he had developed for her was a fate that could never happen but then…he began to notice changes in her. His hopes…maybe they weren't entirely lost…**

 ** _The Night was quiet up on deck that evening, save for the soft chuckles coming from the stairs that led up to the wheel of the ship._** _Jin had found himself unable to sleep that night. Ryu and Mugen were on guard duty incase any of the crew tried to do anything but he decided to get up and take a walk. He wanted to keep things silent. That had been the plan anyway, but the soft chuckles caught his ear, making him venture closer to see who it was._

 _He wasn't expecting who he found._

 _"Are you sure its safe for you to be out here right now?"_

 _Reiko didn't even glance at the man as he stood over her as she took another drink from the bottle in her hand. "Why does it matter? Now that they know I'm one of the infamous Terror Sisters, the pussies are too scared to come near me, let alone stand up to me." She took another drink. "What about you? You're an accomplice now, you know."_

 _"I can take care of myself," He answered her. HE took a deep breath before taking a seat beside her. He was expecting her to move away but she just continued to sit there._

 _"You're not wearing your glasses," Reiko sniffed, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. "If they don't do anything, why keep them?"_

 _"They're a Memento," He answered her. "Of my master."_

 _"Hmm…" She closed her eyes. "Mementos only make us cling to the past. Sometimes…it's easier just to forget it all."_

 _At her words, Jin saw all those scars on her back in his mind. It wasn't hard to understand why that woman would want to forget everything. He couldn't get those marks out of his head, no matter how hard he tried to._

 _"How's Liza?" He finally asked._

 _"Sleeping. Fuu's watching over her…" There was a tremble in her shoulders again; he was close enough to feel them. "I…I almost lost her. I don't…I don't know if I'd be able to go on living without her."_

 _Jin stared at her in silence before glancing away again. "She's the only one that understands your pain, am I right? She…suffered what you had to, didn't she?" Her silence was the only answer that he needed. "I don't know what it is you've gone through, or why you decided to burn down Norika Castle, but you don't have to think you're alone anymore. We're all outlaws now, after all."_

 _Jin didn't understand why he felt the need to comfort this woman this far but he felt that it was the right thing to do. He had seen a different side of her today and he found himself wanting to see just how far he had to push to bring it back out; to make it stay._

 _"Are there any other weaknesses that you or Liza have other than not being able to swim that we should know about?"_

 _Reiko stared at him. "It's…a secret; not even Liza knows about it," She mumbled, glancing away again. "You have to keep it secret."_

 _Jin nodded, excitement building in his stomach. "What is it?"_

 _She looked back at him, face as serious as possible. "I can't see in the dark."_

 _"Are you-" He then noticed the look on her face. "Was that…a joke?"_

 _She took another drink. "Why would I do that?"_

 _He frowned. There was something strange going on here. "Are you drunk?"_

 _"Don't be stupid," She scoffed. "Drunk and drinking are two different things entirely and I will know when I'm drunken, thank you."_

 _Jin reached out and took the bottle from her hands; she didn't struggle and just stared at the steps beneath her. Sniffing the opening, Jin frowned a bit as Sake hit him. How long had she been sitting out here drinking? She must have gone into the pantry and taken it from one of the crew._

 _With a silent sigh, Jin took a drink himself before handing it back to her. She gave a snort and took another drink before returning it to him again. Jin, normally, would have stopped her from drinking like this, but after today…he didn't see a problem with it._

 _"I'm afraid," Her voice began again after another drink. "I almost lost her today and there would have been nothing that I could have done to save her. I would have sunk with her…no, that's a lie." Her voice trembled. "I would have let her go and saved myself. Liza would have sunk to the bottom until she died while I saved myself like a coward. Why…why can't I just keep her safe? She's mine! It's my duty! It's my job to keep her safe!"_

 _Jin was silent for a moment, thinking over her words. Something more than just Norika Castle tied these two women together. Something more emotional, painful._

 _"Norika fell over ten years ago, did it not? Have you not kept her safe for that long? If I guess correctly, she was but a child. Seven or so? You saved her from that burning castle. You saved her from something. I doubt you really just went on a rampage and killed over a hundred people. You've been protecting her since then. You've done a good job so far, but you can't always protect her. If you hold onto her too tightly, you could ruin everything between the two of you."_

 _Reiko gave a snort. "You say that because you don't understand. The bond the two of us share can never be broken. Liza will always, always be my salut."_

 _He cocked a brow. Salut? That was obviously a foreign word, but he didn't know from where. Was it foreign for child? Was Reiko Liza's mother?_

 _No, that was foolish. Reiko was too young to be her mother, Liza didn't have any of her features, either._

 _"Reiko, just what happened at-"_

 _His words came to a halt as pressure was applied to his right arm. Turning his head, he was surprised to find that Reiko had leaned up against him, using his arm as a pillow. She had fallen asleep on him. He felt his face heat up. He had slept with women before, yes, but this was Reiko we were talking about. He couldn't lie, he was attracted to her, he admitted that when they split up in the woods and he found himself only able to worry about her safety. He was happy when they were reunited but she had been just as cold as ever; until today. He had seen another side of this woman and his wish had come true. Now he just needed to find a way to keep it._

 _The silence was broken by a small noise from Reiko's mouth; a little hiccup. His face got redder; it was cute. It got worse as she buried her face further into his shoulder. He moved slowly and pulled her closer against him, careful of her left shoulder._

 _Jin gave a smile to himself as the warmth spread through the rest of his body._

 _One of the Terror Sisters couldn't swim. The other couldn't hold her liquor. Who'd have thought it?_

 **Despite what she said or how she acted, Reiko had become attatched the their strange group just as much as everyone else, she just refused to say or do anything. The meaner she was to them, the harder she was trying to push them away. Jin found it to be…cute.**

 _"Is she asleep?"_

 _Reiko glanced at the samurai that stood off to the side. She really wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Why do you linger here? Just leave the two of us in peace."_

 _Jin just stared at her blankly. He should have known by now that she wasn't going to give him what he wanted. He was going to have to work for it even harder than before now._

 _"Why did you do that?"_

 _She closed her eyes. "Do what?"_

 _"Put on that display," He answered her. "I admit that Liza is...quite flirtatious with everyone but I know for a fact that you...the two of you have not...embraced each other."_

 _Not even a fire could save him from the chill that he now felt in the air around them. Was he making a mistake here?_

 _No, he couldn't double-think himself now. He had to do this if he wanted his answers._

 _"How do you know we haven't?" She replied harshly. "You know nothing about us."_

 _"I know that you haven't because of what occurred at Norika Castle," At his words he saw the anger in that woman's eyes; but she stayed silent. "Whatever happened in that castle has scarred not only you but that young woman sleeping inside. She may talk big, but the very thought of sex scares her. It scares both of you."_

 _Reiko stared at the man for a moment. Jin saw that her eyes were still that cold grey, yes, but there was something else there right now; a flicker that he had never seen before. It was gone soon after he saw it though, just as her anger returned._

 _"I don't know what you think you know, four-eyes, but it would be in your best interest to stop making assumptions on what Elizabeth and I do. If you don't then you will undoubtedly find yourself with more than just the Vagabond trying to kill you this time." She turned to re-enter the room that she and Liza were sharing. "No one will be able to save you then."_

 _"It's not me who needs the saving," Jin's words made her pause. "But you; both of you. Asking for help, no matter what kind, is not a sign of weakness."_

 _"But isn't it?" Reiko's voice was soft. "If I cannot protect what I hold dear, am I not weak. If I can't even save Elizabeth from drowning, then what good am I? How can I expect to save her from anything else!?"_

 _Jin felt his heart beat faster. This was the most that she had opened to him. He was getting closer and closer to what he wanted; closer to her. This broken woman before him was barely hanging onto her sanity anymore. He…he had to save her._

 _"You can't do everything on your own, Reiko," It was one of the few times that her name had ever left his lips and it made her turn to look at him. If it had not been a full moon that night, then he wouldn't have seen the uncertainty, the fear, in her eyes; the tears that were beginning to form. "Everyone wants to protect everything important to them, but sometimes they kill themselves in the process. You and I both know that Liza wouldn't want you to do this to yourself. If you can't trust me, then trust her."_

 _Reiko frowned, staring off to the side. "You make it sound so easy. You don't understand anything about what we've been through."_

 _"I know I don't," He answered her truthfully. "And I know that trying to force you to tell me isn't going to work. I can wait no matter how long it takes until you finally do."_

 _Why was he making this promise to her? He had nothing to do with this woman outside of them being stuck together until the find the samurai that smells of sunflowers. Maybe…maybe it was because he, if even a little, he could relate to her. He was, after all, a man on the run as well._

 _Reiko went to reply when movement to her left caught her eye. She was Liza disappear around the corner and frowned. She had thought the other woman was asleep, apparently that was not the case. Her stomach began to unsettle itself. If Liza was trying to sneak out past her then it only mean one thing._

 _"Jin, gather the others and take them away as fast as you can," Reiko told the man before her. "It's not safe for us to stay here anymore."_

 _Jin wanted to open his mouth again, ask for answers, but he thought against it. He had seen Liza sneak past them as well. He had to trust that Reiko knew what she was doing. He had to trust her before she could trust him._

 _"Don't be long."_

 _Reiko was still for a moment before giving him a short nod. Taking it, the man turned and went to gather the other three members of their group and leave behind everything about his place._

 **"You won't know until you let someone try."**

She glanced at him and he saw that same enraged look in her grey eyes. The guarded look, the fire that told him that he was getting too close to her boundaries.

"What makes you think I want someone to try?"

"It's not just words one can use to speak to others with, Reiko." She suppressed the will to look at him, instead turning to the floatable tray of food and Sake. With a sigh, she helped herself to it.

As she turned her back to him, Jin, as always, found himself looking at all her scars again. The more he stared at them, the more he wanted to touch them. He had a fantasy that he might be able to make them all disappear. Unfortunately, his previous deduction had been proven true. From what he saw on her chest, there were more scars there that mirrored her back.

He felt…infuriated. The thought of anyone leaving marks like that on a woman's skin, on HER skin, made his rage boil.

"Tell me," Reiko's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he found the loaded tray floating towards him. "After we're done helping Fuu, what do you plan on doing?"

He took a drink before pushing the tray back towards here. If she was…fine being with him like this, then he wouldn't say a word.

"More or less what you and Liza are doing right now." he admitted. "After Mugen and I have our fight, of course."

Reiko took another drink. She remembered being told about the promise of battle the two men had given each other when they first met. Honestly, she wasn't surprised.

"Now that Liza has…laid claim to Mugen, you understand that she's not just going to let that happen, right?" She glanced at him again. "And neither will I." There was a smirk on her face now. "It would be a shame if something were to happen to either of you."

Jin paused the cup at his lips for a moment. This woman…her attitude could change in a blink of an eye. One moment she was angry, a tough shell to crack, and the next she was playful, like a kitten. There was clearly a war raging in her head, it had most likely been a battle for a long time. On one side you had Reiko, calm and playful and normal, and on the other side was the elder of the Terror Sisters, untrusting and brutal and a murderer. As he continued to stare, he watched as her face was split down the middle, the left side holding her smile she had given Mugen and Ryu when they saved Liza from drowning and the right side was the look she had given him all these days ago when he had chosen to save that woman from the brothel; enraged and ready to kill.

Despite her being like this, Jin was happy. With this internal war going on, it proved that there was still a kind soul behind the monster that she had turned into. It meant that she hadn't given up. He, undoubtedly, had Liza to thank for that.

He had an idea that could either give him what he wanted or ruin what he had tried so hard to accomplish. Should…should he risk it? Was it going to be worth it?

As he stared at the woman across from him, her body hidden beneath the water, he took in the small little smile on her face as the tray floated back to her and grabbed another drink.

He decided that it was worth it.

"Back on the ship, you called Liza your… _Salut_." Jin watched as her face twitched a bit, her smile falling a bit. "What does that mean?"

She was silent for a moment, staring at the sake in her hand. She went to drink it before stopping herself and placing it back on the tray. Pushing it towards him again, she turned her back to him, leaning over the edge of the Hot Spring. Jin couldn't help himself now. Her side was exposed to him, revealing even more scars to him; and the side of her breasts. He felt his cheeks redden a bit, despite it barely being a glimpse, but he turned his head, so he couldn't see; a gentleman. He moved closer to her, only feet between them now, so he wouldn't be tempted to look again when facing her.

"It's French," Her voice finally sounded again. "For salvation." She propped her chin up on her arms, staring at the fence around the area. "It might sound childish, but it's true. Elizabeth was my salvation in that castle. Without her, I never would have built up the courage to save the both of us. I…she made me realize that what was happening…what was done to us…it wasn't love; it never was."

"Love?" Jin's voice was behind her. She froze, stark still, as his fingers traced the scars on her skin. If any other man had been the one to do that, to touch her, she would have killed him. But Jin…she found herself wanting him to do more; much, much more. "How is this love? Why would you even believe that?!"

"You want the answers?" Reiko whipped around fast, catching the man off guard. She had caught his left hand before he could pull it away in time, clenching it in her fist. Jin got worried for a moment but the look on her eyes were different. There was anger and hatred, yes, but they weren't directed at him. "After you learn the truth, then perhaps you will leave me be; maybe you'll finally just go away!"

"Reiko-" Jin's voice caught as she pulled his hand underwater. He fell silent until he felt her press his hand against her skin. He tried to pull back but she forced him to touch her. His fingers were dragged down her stomach until it landed on her hip. There he…he felt something strange. It was a scar, undoubtedly, but it was…different than the others. It was…more of a symbol.

"This is a brand," Reiko glared into his face, as if daring him to look away. "It's a brand from the Lord of Norika Castle, Akio Nobusani. That bastard put it on every woman that he claimed as his own; even his own daughter." He felt her squeeze his hand but he was more intent on taking in her words than to notice it.

"His daughter?"

"That's right." Her voice quivered for a moment before she fixed it, making it strong and bold as it normally was. "The Lord of Norika Castle impregnated several of his lovers over the course of his rule, but it didn't stop there. While most of his children were boys, there was two daughters; twins. He…he was a monster. He doted upon them until they were old enough…the moment they entered womanhood, he…he took them to his room and…and…' Reiko felt her tears erupt but she refused to acknowledge them. "My sister tried to kill herself after the first night. That bastard is why I refuse to trust anyone. If a monster could do that to his own children, his own flesh and blood, then what could others do?" She shoved him away and turned her back to him again, unable to hold his gaze. She couldn't face him anymore.

"I was seven when it all began. Akio was going to…deal with my sister but I begged him to forgive her. I…I took her punishments." She hung her head. "I thought that if I…I was the only one to suffer, then others would be safe. That monster's twisted fantasies and pleasures were known by everyone in that castle but no one did anything. Some were forced to help when he beat me. Most pitied me but there were a few that would…take pleasure in helping. I wanted to run, to end it all, but I knew that if I were to leave, then another would just take my place. I was told that my sister was sent to a farm but deep down I knew…I knew that she was disposed of for disobedience. I lied to myself, saying that she was free because of me. Confined to my room and the Gardens behind it until I was called upon was my life for years. As long as I was the only one to suffer, I was willing to take it all."

"And then that fateful night…I wandered out into the Gardens after nightfall. There, I found a little blonde child hiding from the guards. She told me everything, about her being brought there and how Akio scared her. I…I knew right then and there that my father was going to break his promise to me. He lasted barely a year after Elizabeth was brought to the Castle. I had reminded him of our deal and…received a beating for trying to tell him what to do. I hid Elizabeth in my room, telling her that I got permission for her to live with me. Unknown to her, I had taken her from her chambers and hid her, so she wouldn't be found. He took his anger and frustrations out on me. And then…then…"

Her voice caught again as arms wrapped around her from behind. She wanted to pull away, to ignore the feel of his touch and the chest that pressed against her back, but she found that she couldn't. He was careful with the placement of his arms and gently held her like that. She just stood there, the feel of his skin against her's rendering her silent. He just stood there, as if telling her to continue when she felt good enough to.

"Akio found out that I was hiding her. He lured me away from my chambers and his men took her from my room and to his. When I returned and found her missing, I went straight to his chambers. I lied to the guards outside his door, telling them that I was there to join. When I found him ontop of her…on top of that sweet, innocent, little child…I grabbed his desk. The first blow was enough to knock him off of Elizabeth but the second and the third hits drew blood. I…I couldn't stop myself. I kept hitting him and hitting him until I saw his brains splatter all over the floor. Instead of running or crying, Elizabeth dove right to me, burying her face into my kimono, clutching to them like her life depended on it."

"I had killed the Lord of the Castle. There was no way that the two of us could stay there any longer. Elizabeth was able to call the guard into the room and I hit him with the desk as well before using his own sword to slit his throat." She took a breath, a shudder passing down her back. "I…I still don't know how we survived. The element of surprise, most likely, as well as a panic over the fire that had been started by a dropped lantern. It…it's all a haze, really. Like a dream that I watch. I killed everyone that came into my path, whether they were trying to stop us from leaving or not."

"And it continued. Now known as murderers, we ran, killing anyone that tried to stop us. Ryu got mixed up, seeing us as just two women that were being harassed by the law near Edo. It was a shock to him to learn everything but he…he stayed with us, despite everything that I said to him or how many times I threatened to kill him. He told me that he was going to prove to me that I could trust someone other than Elizabeth or myself. He's such a stubborn bastard but…eventually, I found myself trusting him, leaving him to take care of Liza when I went off on my own. He's as stubborn and hardheaded as the rest of us. You're both quite similar," Her voice broke for a moment. "But whereas I can stand him, I can't stand you!" Her voice turned rough again. Jin clenched his eyes shut, waiting for it.

"I can't stand you! The sight, the presence; your smell. Everything about you makes me furious because you put these thoughts in my head, thoughts that I shouldn't even think about after everything that happened!" His eyes opened again when her hands clutched as his arm. He waited for her to push him away but she clung to him instead as if her life depended on it. I long to hear you voice. I like when you smile at me. I…I want you to touch me and it sickens me! After all that was done, I long for the exact treatment. It's disgusting!"

"It's not the same treatment," Jin whispered into her ear. "It would never be the same. That…what you went through was not love. This were not from love," His fingers grazed over a few of her scars. "That was anything but. Never, in a thousand years, would I do something like that to you. Even considering to give someone a chance after what you went through…it proves that you know I'm right. To go straight from what you did to seeing what some of these men do in brothels and on the streets surely diminished any hope you had, but there are men out there like Ryu and me that won't treat women like that. Mugen may be vulgar, but even he treats women with respect. You just haven't been shown it yet."

His chin came down to rest on her shoulder; he tightened his arms, savoring the feeling. "At first, I wanted nothing to do with you but as I watched you I realized that you were hiding something. I vowed to find out what that was and in time, I found myself falling for you. That night on the ship, I realized that, despite your words, there was a woman hiding in herself, afraid to come out. I already loved one side of you; I vowed that I would find the other side and love it just as much. I understand that…physical contact will be hard for you, but that's not what love is all about. I can show you so much more than that. I don't need anything from you. The only thing I want is for you to smile."

He felt something wet fall on his arm and he gave a small smile. She was crying. "Give me a chance. Make the choice you never got to."

Jin held his breath, waiting for an answer. He readied himself for whatever cruel words would come out of her mouth, now knowing that they weren't truly because of him. She needed help to let go of her past and he wanted to be the one to give it to her.

"I hate you."

Her words were low but her head hung as her grip on his arms tightened. Jin gave a smile and hugged her tighter to his body, promising to never let her go.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	16. Chapter 15

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Fifteen_**

 ** _Evanescent Encounter, Part One_**

 **"They ditched us.** They actually ditched us!"

"Those bastards!"

Reiko gave a sigh as Mugen and Liza continued to curse Fuu and Ryu out. "You really didn't expect it from how weird Fuu has been acting the last few days?"

Liza glanced at her friend. "Should we have?"

Jin mimicked Reiko's sigh as she crossed her arms. Fuu had been acting very strange the last couple of days. Jin really wasn't surprised to find that Fuu and Ryu had left them behind and gone to Ikitsuki island by themselves. They finally reached the end of their journey. With the revelation that the Sunflower Samurai was Fuu's father, there was no doubt in his mind that she was going to want to confront him herself. Ryu would be going with her, even if she didn't want him to.

Fuu had left them a note but Reiko didn't bother reading it. The four of them stood there, staring at the island as they ate the castella cakes that Fuu had given them money for.

"What do we do now?" Mugen asked around a mouthful of cake.

"I don't know about you, but I don't take kindly to being ditched like some side chick," Liza sat down on the ground beside Mugen, arms and legs crossed after dropping her naginata beside her. After the baseball game, Mugen announced that he had 'borrowed' some money from their American friends and bought her a replacement for the weapon that had been broken against Sara. "I'm gonna wait right here until they come back and give them a piece of my mind!"

"I'm down with that," Mugen grinned. "Until then we can go find an inn and relax, right?"

"Nothing you do can be considered relaxing," Reiko answered before Liza could reply. "So if that's what you really want, Elizabeth and I will be sharing a room tonight while you and Jin can do the same."

"Stingy bitch." Mugen grumbled.

"Spoiled bastard."

"Cockblocker."

"As much as possible."

Liza gave a laugh as Jin just shook his head.

After what had happened at the Hot Springs a few days ago, Jin and Mugen had held a talk. The duel that the duo had planned on having had been brought to an end; for now. They had come to an agreement that, as long as the two of them planned on staying with Liza and Reiko after this journey for the Sunflower Samurai was over, their duel would no longer be allowed. Though Mugen had happily told the samurai that he still pissed him off to no ends, he also admitted that he had…grown on him. Jin could say the same thing about the Vagabond.

The Pirate had gotten a little possessive when Liza had hugged Jin that morning though after a…conversation that had ended before Mugen had joined them. He had wanted to sut up the Samurai right then and there before the two women had put an end to it all.

"I suppose waiting from them is the best option for now," Reiko gave in. "Let's not invade upon their reunion."

The four of them fell into silence for a bit afterwards, finishing off the cakes. Liza had to stifle a yawn and was about tog et up to start searching for a place to rest when a voice decided to join them at the docks.

"Only hope can give rise to the emotion we call despair. But it is nearly impossible for a man to try to live without hope, so I guess that leaves man no choice but to walk around with despair as his companion."

"Huh?" Mugen glanced up at him, licking his fingers clean. "What the hell do you want?'

"If you're looking for Kasumi's daughter, she's crossed over to the island."

Jin glanced over at the other man. He was dressed like a normal samurai, a straw hat on his head. "You know Seizo Kasumi?"

"I know he's a felon who abandoned his country and had his soul stolen by that foreign religion." Mugen stood up at that, glaring at the new man as Liza followed suit, keeping her eyes locked on the water before her. "I heard that he fled here to Kyushu and that he was involved in the Shimabara Rebellion. I also know he's the man who the Shogunate wants eliminated more than anyone else. Almost as much as they want the infamous Terror Sisters to be taken down."

No one moved a muscle until Reiko released a breath. "How long have you been following her?"

"The Shogunate had known all along that his daughter was trying to find him. She led us right to him. To think that she would find comfort in the presence of monsters such as yourselves…it's almost…fitting."

"Hey, watch who you call a monster, pal," Liza gave him a cold smile. "I might like it."

Mugen placed himself in front of Liza. "There's four of us and one of you, pal. You really think you can take us on by yourself? You sure got a big pair on ya, pal."

"So much for relaxing today," Liza sighed, gripping her naginata as the rest of them prepared to fight. "Let's end this quickly, shall we? Fuu and Ryu might need out help if there's people after them."

"Agreed," Jin nodded, a hand on his sword.

The man before them gave a small smile. "Despite this being where you end, I'm pleased to see that you've grown into a beautiful woman, Elizabeth Rush. Both of you have."

Mugen glanced at the shocked woman beside him. "You know this asshole?"

Liza shook her head. "I've never seen him before in my life."

Reiko narrowed her eyes, taking in his features. It hit her like a brick. "Kariya Kagetoki."

The said man grinned. "I've been waiting on this for ten years."

 ** _"If I had not been here, then you might have actually gotten away,"_** _The man told her, his calming demeanor doing nothing but flare up her panic. The blade shook in Reiko's right hand as her left was curled into a fist to keep it from trembling._

 _They had come so far, they had gotten away, just to be found by this…this bastard. They were so close…so close to being free as the castle burnt against the night sky behind them. Was this…was this really going to be the end for them? After all that she done to try and free them from all of this? Was this really how it all ended?_

 _Little fingers clung to her fist and Reiko glanced down. The eight year old child that she had taken from the castle with her stared back up. Her eyes widened. The child, she wasn't crying or shaking in fear. She showed no signs of terror, instead giving the older girl a bright smile. A smile that told Reiko that the child trusted her enough to get them both out of this; a smile that told her she was trusted to keep them both alive._

 _She moved without a second thought, catching the Samurai off guard just enough to wound his left hand. The man gave her praise before placing his blade in his right hand. Reiko swallowed, her nerves at their breaking point. This was it; the end._

 _But as the man attacked, she realized that it wasn't her that he was aiming for. His blade was headed for Liza. All time seemed to slow down to the older girl, panic and fear setting in. She placed herself before the child, taking the sword to her thigh as she brought her own blade up, leaving a gash on the man's shoulder._

 _Time returned to normal, the pain from being stabbed was left behind due to the adrenaline pumping through her body. Leaving the blade there, she grabbed Liza again and into the woods they ran, praying that this sword in her leg didn't do as much damage as she feared._

 **"An old friend of yours, Rei?"** Liza asked, her gaze passing over to her friend.

"I thought you had retired," Reiko growled, her grip on her hilt tense.

"I had, but the thought of facing you again, to see how far you've come, and of course your friends here, have peaked my interest." He smiled. "Come. I hope that you don't disappoint me."

Mugen wasted no time in running forward to attack first. Reiko called out to him, telling him to stop, but her words fell on deaf ears. All she could do was watch as Kariya danced circles around the young man, clearly toying with him.

"Interesting," Kariya smiled after dodging Mugen's attack through the coffee beans. "You utilize erratic movements that prevent anyone from predicting them. But you must learn to make use of your intellect in the martial arts. By relying solely upon instinct and reflex, you involuntarily reveal your limitations to your enemy."

Mugen stomped a foot. "Quit talkin' to me like you're all hot shit!" He ran in for another attack, just for Kariya to knock him into the water.

"All right old man," Liza twirled her naginata. "Let's see you do that to me."

Again, Kariya dodged more than anything, using his sword to parry the larger weapon once, holding the duo at a stand-still.

"You use the reach of your weapon to cunningly knock your opponent off guard and overpower them. Most men would not expect such power behind a woman, let alone brains like that. You pick fights you only know you can win, resulting in your teases."

"Come now, you flatter me," She growled from behind gritted teeth. "Now quit with the talking and-" She was cut off by the hilt of his sword placing itself into her stomach. Pain erupted through her and she fell to her knees.

"Elizabeth!" Reiko went to run to the other woman but Jin stood in her way, blocking her from Kariya as he now faced them.

"I would very much like to see your Muju Shin Kenjutsu style," The man told Jin. "Show me the student able to take down Enshiro Mariya."

Jin stared at him in shock. "How is it that you know about that?"

Reiko was the one to answer him. "Kariya is with the Shogunate. He, most likely, knows everything about us; Fuu and Ryu included."

Kariya gave a grin. "It is said that you're the smarter of the two sisters," He glanced to the side as Liza stood up, an angry look upon her face. "It seems that the rumors were true."

"Bastard!" Mugen's roar was heard as the man popped back up out of the water, rushing to attack Kariya again. Liza wasted no time and join in, the duo taking the man together but still…this fighting style of his was insane. It seemed that no matter what they did, he was just always one step ahead of them, reading their movements like a damn book. It infuriated them to no ends.

Mugen was tossed away again and Jin ran in to help, but Reiko found her feet frozen to the ground as she stared at the man before her. She had barely escaped this man ten years ago but while she had gotten better with her blade, this man, undoubtedly had as well. She found herself afraid, and this time not just for herself. For Liza and Mugen and Jin, even for Ryu and Fuu. This man…he could kill them all; he planned on it. What…what could she do against him? How-

"Mu-gen." A new voice brought all the fighting to a stop as Mugen sat up I anger, looking around.

"Who the hell wants me now?"

"Mugen." The laughter came from a blond man that sat above them all, chewing on his right arm.

"What the fuck is that?" Liza growled, glaring at him.

The man ignored her, staring at the pirate below him. "Guess what, Mugen? We got the girl. The girl and her little friend." He slurped his spit up. "Come to the church, the one on the island. Bye bye." He turned to leave.

"Say what? Can't ya see we're kinda busy here?"

"Ryu was bested?" Liza sounded shocked. "Can't be true. The bastards must have jumped him."

"Or used Fuu as a weakness," Reiko sighed.

"If you don't hurry up, bad things might happen to them." The blond man turned back to them. "I can't promise that he's not carving her into little pieces right now!" He jumped from their sight.

"Don't piss me off!" Mugen growled.

"The two of you, go," Reiko took a step forward, pulling her blade free. "Save Ryu and Fuu. Jin and I can handle this."

Liza opened her mouth to reply but closed it. "You better hurry after us."

"Bullshit!" Mugen growled. "Why can't the two of you go and we handle this bastard?"

"Mugen, please." Reiko's words made Mugen's eyes widen. He stared at her for a moment before giving a grunt.

"You two better not let him kill ya!" Grabbing Liza's hand, he dragged her to the docks again, jumping on a boat that had just docked and forced him to go back over open water. Liza waited for him to drop her hand, but he kept it, refusing to look at her as he stared out towards the island. "Until we're on solid ground again, I'm not letting you go."

She gave him a soft smile, despite the serious situation before them.

Reiko and Jin both watched them take off before their attention returned to Kariya. Reiko barely let him take another breath before rushing forward, delivering a blow of attacks that he blocked.

"Even with no proper training, your swordsmanship is impressive. It seems that you are a natural when wielding a blade. With training you could have become one of the best, woman or not."

"Flattery will get you nowhere!" Reiko growled, pushing him back. She then ducked as Jin came jumping forward, letting him have a go as she tried to think of a strategy in her head. This man seemed to know what they were going to do before they did it. Perhaps she should just attack wildly like Mugen does or…

Jin's glasses went flying from his face, knocking Reiko from her thoughts and bringing her back into the fight, giving the other man time to regain himself.

"You've come so far," Kariya told her. "It's a shame. If only you hadn't gotten involved with Kasumi' daughter, you might had been able to run forever."

"What makes you think that's what I want?"

He parried her blade again and leaned closer to her face. "The terror I see in your eyes tells me so." He was shoved back but regained his footing. "It's been quite some time since I've enjoyed myself this much. You've made for great entertainment, my dear."

Reiko glared at him. She had to think; and fast. She had to do something to catch this man off guard, leaving Jin to make the final attack and kill him.

"Reiko," Jin's voice was in her ear. "Do you trust me?"

She glanced at him, trying not to let her gaze leave Kariya for too long. "What do you have in mind?"

Jin opened his mouth to reply but before her could, Kariya struck, slithering forward like a snake. The next thing Reiko saw was the color red.

 ** _~Think I can fly_**

 ** _I think I can fly when I'm with you._**

 ** _My arms are wide_**

 ** _Capture fire as the wind blows~_**

 **Liza whipped around as a splash happened behind them and she gave a sigh.** The shipman was nowhere to be seen.

"You know, we really should have known they wouldn't just let us reach the island safely."

Mugen tightened his grip on her hand. "Whatever you do, don't let go of me, you got it?"

They both watched as the blond man from before crawled onto the boat, mumbling strange things to himself.

"There's something seriously wrong with this one," Liza told the man beside her. "He's all yours."

"He made me promise that I wouldn't do anything to you until I got to the church. Especially not to the girl. He wants her all to himself."

"Eww," Liza took a step back.

"It's so hard! I wanna kill you both so bad! And there you are,, right there under my nose and it's driving me crazy!" He began to pull at his face and Liza's frown deepened.

"Oh yeah, he's definitely yours, babe."

If the circumstances had been different, he would have grinned her calling him that but he kept a firm frown as the man moved forward and he drew his sword, sure to keep his free hand clutching to Liza's.

Unfortunately, the battle made the boat rock and the bastard ended up flipping it. With his sword in one hand and Liza's fist in the other, he found it hard to swim as he blocked and dodged that blond bastard's attacks. He needed to get Liza out of the water fast and-

The air got knocked out of him when something caught him in the side. Fear struck him when Liza's hand was ripped from his and he turned in time to watch their attacked fly past him. If he hadn't been shoved to the side, he would have been stabbed from behind.

Realizing that Liza was the one to shove him out of the way, he found her form moving further and further away from him. He reached out for her, his panic growing, but the other man got in the way. With hands around Mugen's throat, the pirate struggled to get the man off of him as he was forced further and further away from Liza's form. With a roar he knocked the man away from him and swam forward for another attack. He blocked his claws with his now free hand, the blood clouding his view for just a moment before his sword pierced the man's chest.

With panic clear in his veins now, he searched for Liza's body but he couldn't find her. Unable to hold his breath, he broke to the surface and took another breath before diving back down. The barrels in the boat floated around him but the only body he found was the dead bastards.

Something caught his eye though, falling towards the bottom of the ocean, and he swam towards it quick. As he got closer to it though, his hopes faded away again.

All he found was Liza's Naginata.

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	17. Chapter 16

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Chapter Sixteen_**

 ** _Evanescent Encounter, Part Two_**

 **"If you lay another hand on her, I'll kill you myself.** You won't have to wait for Mugen."

Ryu's threat made the man before Fuu look up. His name was Umanosuke and the man had used some kind of gas to catch Ryu off guard and weaken him. Ryu was ashamed, but more pissed off at the turn of events this had taken.

Apparently, this bastard, and his brother that sat in a wheelchair, had some unfinished business with the vagabond that they had been traveling with and were now using him and Fuu to lure the said man to an old, burnt down church on the island.

Ryu had been tied and bound on the ground, Fuu to a broken cross. Every time that bastard laid a hand on Fuu, Ryu made a mental count in his head of all that he was going to do to this man when he got loose.

If there was one thing he remembered from Liza and Reiko, it was how to get loose from ropes. He had a hidden knife always folded into the back layers on his outer kimono just for situations like this. Liza had taught him that. He was currently trying to work his way thought cutting the rope but he had to be careful with the second brother so close to him. He wanted nothing more than to just spring right up and save Fuu, but he knew that anything he did now would warrant her another face beating.

Instead he had set his task to annoying the bastard and it seemed to be working. Sadly, he had taken it out of Fuu instead of him.

A shadow fell over the doorway f the church, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Mugen." Fuu stared at him in disbelief. The man looked like he had swam all the way here.

"Sorry, buddy," Mugen sighed. "Time to give her back now.

Umanosuke laughed. "Oh, I'm so happy now. We finally meet at last." He glanced over Mugen's shoulder. "Where's your little friend? Surely you don't think you can launch a surprise on me, do you?" He watched as anger lit up Mugen's eyes and his hands squeezed into fists. "Or…did your little princess take a tumble into the water? It's such a shame when you don't know how to swim in a country like Japan, don't you think?"

Ryu stared at Mugen, waiting for the man's refusal at Liza's death, but he received none. Mugen couldn't even meet his eyes before he reached over his shoulder and brushed his hand over the naginata that he now carried.

"No," Fuu's eyes watered up. "Not Liza!"

Mugen gave the man another glare. "Just who the hell are you people?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Umanosuke replied. "If you have forgotten us, fine, but the three of us will remember you until the end of our miserable lives."

"What the hell did you do to give this guy his major hate boner?" Ryu called over to the other man.

"Beats me. I'm sure there's many people I've pissed off over the years."

"Allow us to jog your memory," Umanosuke cut it. "Before we met, my brothers and I were well known around the Satsuma area. But that all changed. We happened to be in charge of a raw sugar ship. Maybe you remember that night, when you and Mukuro robbed it. My oldest brother ended up like this thanks to you," He motioned towards the man in the wheelchair beside Ryu. "When we returned to Satsuma, they blamed us for the raid and drove us out of town. And that wiped out our chances of working for the government. The only thing that keeps us going now is the desire to hunt you down and kill you, you worthless piece of shit."

"So…let me get this straight," Ryu called out, making the man turn. "You had a whole crew…that got their asses beat by four pirates…" He gave a frown at Mugen. "Just what god did you pray to to be so badass?"

Mugen gave him half a smile, not really in the mood for jokes at the moment. "You know, about that ugly brother of yours…I just sent his ass to the bottom of the ocean."

Umanosuke gave a roar, placing his kusarigama at Fuu's neck. "You bastard! You don't get it, do you? Whether this little girl lives or dies doesn't mean a damn thing to either one of us."

"Shut up," Mugen sighed, drawing his sword. "Look, I'll put down my sword, but in return you gotta let go of the girl."

"Deal."

"Don't be dumb, Mugen," Ryu told him, trying to bide more time. The ropes around his feet were off but he still had a little bit to go with his hands. "They'll just kill us anyway."

"Such a mouthy brat, aren't you?" Umanosuke grinned. "Let the man make his choice. Surely he doesn't want another death of his friends caused by his own stupidity, right Mugen?"

The pirate glared at the man before tossing his blade at Fuu, freeing her.

"Get out of here," Mugen told her. "You gotta go meet your sunflower dude. Ryu, you keep close to her and try not to fuck it up this time."

"Fuck you, you bastard," Ryu jumped to his feet and rubbed his wrists, happy to be free. He stared at the other man. "For Liza."

Mugen closed his eyes. "For Liza."

"Let's go." Ryu grabbed Fuu's wrist and dragged her from the destroyed church, leaving Mugen with the two brothers.

"We can't just leave him, Ryu!" Fuu struggled to go back but he held a strong grip to her. "Ryu, he's going to die! We can't! We can't let him die like Liza!"

"If you go back you'll be wasting everything the rest of us have done to get you here to see your father again," Ryu's voice was strained. He, himself, was struggling not to turn back around. "You're getting what you wanted from them. Don't disappoint them and make this trip for nothing."

Fuu opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself, fighting the tears. ~Liza…~

Mugen didn't really comprehend what happened as he fought. It was all like a haze to him, the pain feeling dull as he was beaten and stabbed. All he could see was Liza. He had tried to retrieve his sword but couldn't. In the end, he had to use the naginata he had brought with him from the water. The said weapon was soon flung from his hands, though and Umanosuke was dragging him around by his chain like a dog, his mouth running about teaching him disgrace and revenge and other stupid shit. Again, it wasn't the man's voice he heard; only Liza's.

 _"You're letting this guy beat your ass? Really? Hurry up and kill this guy so we can leave."_

Mugen gave a chuckle. ~If that's what you want…~

"What a load of crap." He groaned, looking at the man that had him pinned. "You dumb dickhead, when it comes to livin' with disgrace, I wrote the book." He spat blood out of his mouth. There ain't a damn thing a loser like you could ever teach me. You want me to have a taste of how you feel? Then quit talkin' like a pussy. When you point a sword at someone, either you kill them or they kill you. There ain't no in between. Now I'm tired of all your pissin' and moanin', so why don't you shut up and get over it!"

Umanosuke gave a growl and hit with a great force, braking the beam that he held Mugen pinned against. As he fell, Mugen retrieved the small knife he had hidden as part of his sheath on his back and flung it at the other man, catching him off guard long enough for him to retrieve his sword form the broken cross.

"Ah, now that was dirty. Keeping that little dagger hidden away like that wasn't fair, was it?"

"I don't know," Mugen looked up with a grin. "See, I've always thought of it as my ace in the hole."

Using the church as much as he could to dodge Umanosuke's attacks, Mugen got a bit worried as it began to crumble around them. Standing up from the wreckage, he had to use his brain. Now that there wasn't a structure to help him against that chain, he had to be fast and smart to not die.

Umanosuke had fallen into a craze, attacking at random in a hurried pace, just waiting for his weapon to make contact. Kariya's words sounded through Mugen's ears.

 _"Interesting," Kariya smiled after dodging Mugen's attack through the coffee beans. "You utilize erratic movements that prevent anyone from predicting them. But you must learn to make use of your intellect in the martial arts. By relying solely upon instinct and reflex, you involuntarily reveal your limitations to your enemy."_

~All right you bastard, try this on for size!~

With a roar, Mugen ran forward, tossing his sword behind Umanosuke's back. He gave a wince and his left shoulder throbbed but he ignored it, using his legs to bring the other man down into some kind of leg lock. The chain was locked around his blade just like he wanted so the moment Umanosuke flipped the tide, Mugen grabbed his weapon and gave it a sharp tug. Umanosuke had no time to react as his own blade decapitated him.

With a relieved sigh, Mugen struggled to his feet. He was losing blood; fast. He had to do something about it or else-

Pain hit his right side as a loud bang sounded behind him. Turning slowly, clutching the bullet wound that was now making him bleed even more, he found the elder brother in his wheelchair, staring at him with a psychotic grin.

"You…son of a bitch!" Mugen stumbled towards him. "You…bastard!" He wasn't going to die here, not like this and surely not to this bastard in a wheelchair. He watched as he got ready to fire another shot from the other side of his chair. Mugen tried to make it to him, to knock him out of his chair, but his legs gave out from beneath him.

~No, I can't…I refuse to~

"No you don't, you bastard!"

Mugen's eyes widened, the voice ringing like bells in his ears. There was the sound of something being knocked over and them a squish, like a blade piercing skin. Struggling, the man lifted his head to the scene before him.

There she stood, like an angel, soaked head to foot in water, her hair hanging free from it's tie and clinging to her wet skin and her soaked kimono hung around her waist, leaving nothing but that white cloth to cover her breasts. Her chest heaved, as if she had run all the way here to see him. Her Naginata was back in her hands, currently stabbed through the chest of the man that she had knocked to the ground. The fire was put out, leaving no more threat from the strange bullets that he held stocked in his wheelchair.

"Cheating bastard," Liza growled, stepping on his face, using it to hold his body down as she pulled her naginata out of him.

Mugen wanted to call her name but forced his body up instead, almost not believing what he was in front of him. He wasn't just dying and seeing things now, was he. He stumbled forward, one hand holding the gunshot wound and the other reaching for the woman.

Liza turned to face him, a smile on her face as she moved towards him. "Mugen." His fingers could almost graze her face now. "You asshole!" She then roared, smashing her fist into his shoulder, careful of his wounds. "I can't believe you left me there!"

No, this was definitely not a hallucination. Liza was really here; she was still alive!

Mugen stared at her in shock. "I…I couldn't find you! Where were you!?"

"Inside the boat!" She told him. "After dropping the naginata and its extra weight, I managed to grab the side of it and pull my head up out of the water underneath it. I couldn't flip it over on my own though, resulting in my waiting for you. When you didn't show up, I realized you left me." She punched him again. "What the hell!? Why would you leave me like that?! I-" Her words were cut off when Mugen cupped her face him his hands and kissed her.

The relief that passed through his body now made him want to cry. He wasn't going to let go of her ever again!"

Liza gave a smile as she placed her forehead against his. She was so relieved that she got there in time to save him. If he had died…she didn't want to think about what would happen afterwards. It might have been a whole island on fire this time, not just a castle.

"Mugen," She finally gasped, forcing him to sit on the ground. She had grabbed his red shirt that he had removed early, getting ready to try and wrap his wounds as best as she could with it. "I want swimming lessons after this is all over."

Mugen gave a laugh before placing a kiss on her forehead. "You got it, princess." He leaned back a bit and took in her form. "How did you get to the island? There was no tide to carry you here."

"That would be my doing."

The voice made Mugen look past Liza as she worked on him and had to do a doubletake. Reiko stood there, looking beat to hell and her right arm…it was either hurt or broken as it was held in a sling. He recognized the pattern of the material she was using for the sling; it was Jin's kimono.

"Jin and Reiko found me on their own way over." Liza explained.

"So, does that mean you two killed that asshole?" Mugen asked her.

"I'm afraid not," Reiko shook her head before taking a spot close to the duo, glancing around the ruined area. "Kariya is most likely after Fuu and Ryu as we speak. Jin went to go help. There's not much I can do with a broken arm right now." She hung her head and Mugen took in her features. She looked exhausted; beaten. He felt…sympathy.

"I say that we take a long vacation after all this shit is done with," He winced a bit as Liza tightened the bandage on his arm. "No more fighting for a little while, got it?"

"You? No more fighting?" Liza laughed at him. "Has hell frozen over?"

Mugen chuckled. "Maybe it has." He shot Reiko a smirk. "Your boyfriend cane even come along."

Reiko glared at him. "Just because my right arm is useless right now does not mean the same for my left."

 ** _~Don't want to hear about it_**

 ** _Every single one's got a story to tell_**

 ** _Everyone knows about it_**

 ** _From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell~_**

 **"Jin,"** Ryu kept himself between Fuu and Kariya. "Take Fuu and get back to the others. You and Mugen both need medical attention."

They had found Kasumi, the older man already one foot in the grave from everything that had happened to him over the years. Ryu had stayed outside of the shack as Fuu said her final words to her father, just to have the tearful moment turn into something frightful when Kariya arrived and killed him.

Ryu had thought that this was all over with now, but Kariya instead turned to them, claiming that another mission of his was to kill Kasumi's daughter and his remaining retainers. Ryu had grabbed Fuu and ran but, unfortunately, he followed faster than was anticipated. He had placed Fuu behind him and readied his blade, ready to defend themselves when a wounded Jin showed up. Kariya claimed to have left a deadly wound on him. Ryu took in the gash on his right side, his right side of his kimono completely torn off, his hair free in the wind and his glasses nowhere to be seen.

With how wounded this man was, Ryu wasn't going to let him fight again. Right now, he needed both him and Fuu out of the way to fight freely. With either of them there, he was going to be too preoccupied in worrying about their safety.

"You can't fight him, Ryu!" Fuu argued. "He'll kill you! We have to run!"

"Running will do you no good anymore. I will not let any of you escape from me." Kariya told them.

"Jin, get her out of here!"

Jin stared at the other man for a moment before nodding his head. "Fuu, let's go."

"But, Jin-"

"Listen to me, Fuu," Ryu turned and gave her a smile. "You have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"But do you, Ryu? Do you?!" She cried.

"Of course I do." He continued to smile. "I'm protecting the life of the woman I love," She froze, staring at him in surprise. "I can't call myself a samurai if I can't even do that right, can I?"

"Ryu, I-"

He cut her off, turning back to the man that stood before him. "You can have you turn at confessing after this is all over. For now, just take care of the others."

"Just…just come back to me, Ryu. Come back to us all!" Fuu told him before turning and hurrying after Jin.

Ryu gave a silent sigh before steeling himself. "All right, let's get this done with, shall we?"

Kariya gave a smile. "I commend your bravery. Though you give her time to escape, I will find her and the rest of your friends."

"You'll have to get through me first, old man, and you might not know this, but I'm not one to beat easily."

Kariya stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes. "Who is your teacher, boy?"

"Seizo Kasumi," Ryu answered him, regripping his sword. "He taught me everything I know before he left home."

"Is that so," Kariya smiled. "Then I shall get what I wanted in the end after all. The student of the leader of the rebellion is better than just a dying man in bed."

Ryu took a breath. Kasumi had trained him years ago, yes, but over the years he had perfected the practice, becoming a master of a martial art known as Iai, or Iaido.

"Kasumi took me in when my parents both died, giving me a home that I was afraid that I could never have again. There, I met and fell in love with his daughter. I can forgive you for killing Kasumi but threatening her is something that I won't forgive. If this leaves us both dead, then so be it. At least I was able to protect her in the end."

Kariya smiled, drawing his own blade again. "It's a shame you were involved." He told him. "You would have brought such power to the Shogunate."

 ** _~And if I catch it coming back my way_**

 ** _I'm gonna serve it to you._**

 ** _And that ain't what you want to hear_**

 ** _But that's what I'll do_**

 ** _And the feeling coming from my bones_**

 ** _Says find a home~_**

 **"And he's alive!"**

Liza's voice dragged everyone out of the silence that bombarded them on the beach. The ruined church sat a little ways away from them, the bodies of the two brothers happily left to rot until the end. The moment that Jin and Fuu rejoined them, Fuu tossed herself at the blonde woman, crying about losing his her and how happy she was that she was still alive. Mugen had made a comment about Fuu trying to steal his woman before Fuu hugged him too, thanking him for coming after her and Ryu.

Jin's wounds were taken care of as Reiko announced that it would be smart to stay here on the island and heal before setting off again. No one objected, but none of them moved either to do just that, instead choosing to wait on the outcome of Ryu's battle. If he failed, then…

Liza's voice was the one to break the silence, her hand stopping from running her fingers through Mugen's hair as his head rested in her lap. Mugen sat up and took in the sight of Ryu's form moving towards them.

Ryu was bleeding profusely from his left side, his right hand wrapped in the sleeve of the shirt her ripped free. The left side of his face was bleeding as well and there was a limp in his step.

"Damn, poor bastard looks dead."

"Like you can talk." Liza scolded him with a large smile.

"I take it that he won." Jin commented.

"It appears so." Reiko gave a soft smile, relief playing across her face.

"Ryu!" Fuu jumped up from Liza's side and ran to him, worry gracing her face at the sight of all the blood pouring out of him.

He gave her a huge smile. "Don't worry; this is nothing compared to what Reiko did to me the first time we met." He stared down at her face. "Aww, don't cry, Fuu. Everything's fine now. You-" He was cut off as the young woman hugged him, snuggling her face into his chest, ignoring all the blood she was getting on herself. Ryu was surprised for a moment before giving in with a smile and hugging her back.

"So, I nearly drowned," Liza began with her large smile. "Mugen was shot. Reiko's got a broken arm, and Jin's got a hole in his side that nearly killed him. What are your spoils of battle?"

Ryu's answer was unwrapping his right hand and lifting it for them all to see. Fuu gasped in shock as and 'Ooh' and a wince came from Mugen.

"That is quite unfortunate," Jin commented.

"It is, but at least I'm alive," Ryu chuckled. "I don't think I can wield a sword with only three fingers," He sighed, staring at his ruined hand. His ring and pinky finger were both missing. "But we'll see what happens."

"If not, you'll just have to train with your other hand," Liza told him with a grin. "It can't be that hard, can it?"

"Your optimism is contagious sometimes," Ryu told her. "Just like your refusal to die."

"Please, if I were to drown then I'd be more ashamed than anything. I'm gonna die bathed in some dickhead's blood; remember that."

"Well, from the look of your boy-toy there, it's his blood with how bad he's hurt."

"I'm okay with that," She giggled, running her fingers through the pirate's hair again. "Just as long as he goes with me to help me take over Hell."

Mugen gave a laugh. "Sounds like a date to me."

Silence fell over the group again, each of them enjoying that fact that, after everything that had happened today, that they were all still alive.

This, however, also marked that their journey to find the Sunflower Samurai was over, which meant…

"What…what happens now?" Fuu squeezed Ryu's unhurt hand as she stared at the ground. "It's…we've been together for so long. What happens now?"

"Well, I suppose we go our separate ways…or…"

Fuu looked up at Liza's words. "Or what?"

"Sweetheart, the Shogunate had been chasing you from the beginning. Because of your father, you were on the death list and you were, albeit not on purpose, the reason that Kariya Kagetoki is now dead," Liza grinned. "Welcome to being an outlaw like the rest of us."

"B-but!"

"I'm afraid she's right," Reiko commented from beside Jin. "Kariya's death will soon be announced and a bounty will more than likely be placed on your head. You'll never go back to a normal life after this."

"Fuck a normal life anyway," Liza giggled. "Just happily ditch all that normal shit and stay with us. You're puny, but still young. We can teach you how to be a Terror Sister!" She then pulled a face at the name. "Still a bad choice, in my opinion. Whoever thought of it needs to get some damn brains."

"Wait, wait, wait," Mugen sat up, wincing at the pain from the sudden movement. "Now I agreed to still traveling with that bastard because of Reiko," He pointed at Jin. "But I never signed up for the other two, too! We're not some traveling family, dammit!"

"But aren't we?" Liza giggled. "Besides, it'll be fun."

"Ryu's sword hand is damaged, meaning he won't be able to fight should more come after him and Fuu," Reiko cut in. "They should stay with us until he can wield a sword again. Setting them off on their own is asking for death. Besides, Elizabeth and I owe him a debt for saving us all those years ago."

Ryu stared at the older woman, his mouth hanging open. "What the hell are you and where is Reiko?"

"We can argue about what happens later," Jin commented. "Right now, I suggest we find shelter and help in the village."

"I agree," Liza stood to her feet and held a hand out for Mugen. "Let's go get you fixed up."

Mugen stared at her for a moment. Across the way, Jin was helping Reiko stand, Fuu beside them helping support Ryu and his shaky step. If, when this journey first started, you had told him that things would end up like this, then he would have killed you on the spot, but now, he found himself wishing it wouldn't change.

"Food and sleep," He took her hand and draped an arm around her shoulders. "That's the first thing we need. We'll talk later about everything else," He placed his lips against her ear. "And I mean everything."

Liza giggled. "I'm sure that's a conversation none of them want to hear."

"Who cares?"

Reiko sighed, shaking her head as she and Jin both fought the grins that wanted to appear on their faces.

Was this weirdness ever going to end?

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	18. Epilogue

**I hold no claim to the characters from this kick-ass Anime. Only Ryu, Liza, and Reiko are mine!**

 ** _Epilogue_**

 ** _A Fresh Start_**

 **"Are you sure this is a good idea?"**

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, you and boats don't go together, you know?"

"Mugen, that was three years ago! I know how to swim now, damn you!"

"Hey, hey, stop hitting me! Save that for the bedroom."

"Would the two of you knock it off? You'll blow our cover!"

Reiko gave a sigh as she leaned against the railing of the ship.

It had been three years since the end of the journey to search for the Sunflower Samurai. The plan was for the group to eventually go their own ways but it just…never happened. Ryu learned to hold his sword in his left hand but…it just felt wrong to separate everyone. Instead, they continued to travel around all over Japan; until now, at least.

"Are you sure about this, Liza?" Ryu's voice made the blonde turn from the pirate beside her. "I mean…it's a whole new world."

"I know," She grinned. "For all of us."

About a month ago, Liza announced that she wanted to leave Japan. Mugen was instantly down for it, the man following Liza everywhere she went, no matter what it was. Ryu was a bit nervous about it but Fuu was excited to see another country. The one she really had to convince to do this with her was Jin.

The said Ronin was against it from the beginning, but Liza eventually won him over with the thought of starting his own dojo and continuing on his teacher's work in another country.

The law was still after them all. Several times they had to fight them off, adding more and more blood to their hands. The only chance for them to lead normal lives now was to leave Japan completely. Liza had admitted to the older man that she was nervous, afraid. What if this didn't work? But, she said that they had to try. In order to get a fresh start and live normal lives, they had to try.

Besides, Fuu didn't want to raise her and Ryu's child while on the run from the law.

The said pregnant woman was currently grinning from her place at the stairs, Ryu beside her. You could just notice the bump her stomach was turning into. Three months along. It was either make the trip now or what until after birth. They had chosen now.

"What's that you got there?" Mugen's voice made Reiko turn to see that he was talking to Liza. The blonde had been looking at a piece of paper before looking at the man beside her.

"It's a letter from Tomura." The blonde answered him.

"Tomura?" Jin repeated, recognizing that name. "Is that not the painter we stayed with in Bunko?"

"The very same," Liza smiled, folding the letter into the fold of her kimono. "He finally finished his painting of me. He wanted me to come see it but…we didn't have time before leaving."

"Wait," Mugen glanced at the woman beside him. "Didn't you kill him?"

Liza gave a smile and leaned her head back to stare at the sky. "I had planned on it, but I just…couldn't do it. Why should he die for what his father did?" She glanced at him. "You're the one that made me start thinking like that. If I had run into him before you, I would have killed him without a second thought."

"At least he's good for something," Reiko snorted from her other side. "It means he's not completely useless like I originally thought."

"Hey! Just ask Elizabeth here if she thinks I'm useless. I'm sure the answer will surprise you."

"We don't need to hear anything more about your sex life, Mugen. The noise you guys make at night is enough to give us any answers we don't willingly want."

Mugen shot him a teasing look. "You're just jealous that you can't make your woman moan like I can."

Reiko chuckled as the arguing continued. She kept her eyes on the horizon though, watching as Japan got further and further from view. She was…nervous. Afraid. There was a lot of emotions running through her right now. This decision was changing all of their lives and it wouldn't be able to be undone in the end.

"They're all excited." Jin commented, moving up beside her. She instantly felt his warmth, comforting her against the cool air of the sea.

"And you're not?" She teased. "I remember you running around, making sure all the preparations were taken care of just yesterday."

Jin flushed, looking away. "Any chance I have to continuing on my Master's legacy…it's what I've wanted since before I even took his life. I am worried about leaving Japan, yes, but this might be the chance any one of us has to lead a normal life."

Silence fell between the tow of them as they watched their home get further and further away from them. Though there was an ache in her heart, Reiko was excited. This…all this was, was another adventure for the six of them. Threads of fate had brought them all together for a reason, they had kept them together, too. It was no longer just her and Liza anymore, all of them had become apart of one of the strangest families in history.

"Fuu's not the only one pregnant," Reiko found herself saying before she could stop herself. Jin glanced at her in shock.

"What?"

She nodded happily. "Elizabeth doesn't want to tell Mugen until we land. Two months without her…monthly visitor has made her quite sure of it. It's one of the reasons why she pushed so hard for the journey to happen now. This fresh start will be what we all need now. And maybe…maybe…" She began softly. "Maybe I'll…after we get there and settled, maybe we can have a child of our own."

Jin paused at her words. His grip on the railing before him had grown tighter before slowly turning to look at the woman beside him again. Over the three years he had coaxed the hard woman from most of her fears, but intercourse was…still off the table. Hearing that…

"Are you sure?"

Reiko turned and smiled up at him. "We won't know until we try, will we?" She leaned her head on his shoulder, giggling slightly as his hair tickled her cheeks. "Thank you, Jin. For everything. For staying and…and for saving me."

Jin stared down at her before wrapping an arm around her, a large smile breaking apart on his face. When he killed his master and turned into a criminal, finding love wasn't anywhere in his mind. He also expected to be on the run from the law for the rest of his days. Going to another country…he wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

The woman beside him had changed, not only himself, but her as well. She was still curt and when angered like a demon, but her distrust in others had drained away. Thee five that she traveled with, they were all she needed. The Terror Sister had begun to fade, leaving the true Reiko to come forward. He swore to himself, to her, that he would love her, no matter which one she was.

"If Mugen's kid tries to sleep with it though, we're killing it."

A snort escaped Jin's mouth and he kissed the top of her head as he held her close.

"Agreed."

 **I hope you guys like it. Review! :)**


	19. The End

****_That was harder to write than I thought that it was going to be._****

 ** _I'm so sorry that it took so long but it's done and I love it!_**

 ** _Though I'm going to miss the character developments that happened, Reiko and Liza were probably the hardest duo that I had written to date. I still love them, though._**

 ** _Thanks for reading guys, and I appreciate those who stuck around till the end!_**

 ** _Hope to see you in other stories!_**


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